Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)

Manufacturer:

Boeing [BA]

Characteristics:

Inertial/GPS guidance tail kit for Mk 82 500-pound, Mk 83 1,000-pound, Mk 84 2,000-pound and BLU-109 2,000-pound bombs.

Combat Use:

Pre-production versions used in Operation Allied Force in 1999. The Navy used JDAM for the first time operationally in the no-fly zones over Iraq in 2000, dropping them from F/A-18 fighter-bombers. The JDAM was used extensively throughout Operation Enduring Freedom.

Foreign Users:

The DoD notified Congress of a potential sale of 1,000 JDAM kits to Israel in 2002. South Korea might buy JDAM as part of its procurement of 40 F-15K fighters.

Analysis:

The JDAM kit provides precision targeting capability to “iron bombs” in the American inventory, which can be carried by American strike aircraft such as the B-2 and F/A-18. The JDAM was first used by B-2s during Operation Allied Force against Serb targets in Kosovo. GPS-guided weapons, including JDAM, accounted for nearly half of the munitions dropped by the Navy and Air Force during Operation Enduring Freedom. For Operation Enduring Freedom, a majority of the Air Force JDAMs were dropped from its bomber fleet. Overall, an estimated 4,500 JDAMs were dropped in Afghanistan. The latest version of JDAM is the “lightweight” kit for the Mk 82. The next production lot award will include provisions for equipping the Mk 82 with the kit.