A Navy F/A-18 carries the new Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Long Range (LR) variant during a test event in early April off the coast of California. (US Navy photo)
WASHINGTON — The Air Force has approved production of a turbojet-boosted Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), offering a new, long-range strike option for US aircraft, according to manufacturer Boeing.
The production deal was awarded as a $75 million undefinitized contract, paving the way for the Navy to receive the first kits for the precision munition dubbed the JDAM Long Range, Boeing said in a Wednesday press release. The JDAM, which first saw combat over two decades ago, is a joint program between the Air Force and Navy that cheaply converts unguided bombs into precision munitions using a bolt-on kit, but the standard range was limited to roughly a dozen miles.
The press release did not disclose how many JDAM LR kits would be ordered under the initial contract. According to Boeing, the contract orders what’s called the BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit, essentially the full-up kit that when slapped on a dumb bomb creates the new JDAM LR.
The engine-equipped JDAM dramatically extends the weapon’s range out to over 340 miles for a 500-pound class payload, according to Boeing. An “extended range” variant of the JDAM that’s already in service functions as a glide bomb, but only has a range of over 45 miles, a company fact sheet says.
