American defense giant Boeing received contract from U.S. Air Force for supplying BSU-111/B (PDU) Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM LR) precision guidance kit for aviation bombs, so now one can speak of start of serial production of this product.
As Boeing recalls, earlier this year first flight testing of this kit was conducted, which took place in early April — then it was tested by U.S. Navy from carrier-based F/A-18 fighter to range of approximately 200 nautical miles (this is approximately 370.4 km), while passport maximum range is over 300 nautical miles — this is over 555 km.
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Worth noting Boeing and U.S. Air Force concluded so-called Undefinitized Contract Action — contract under which contractor may begin work even before parties agree on all details including price.
Although as Air and Space Forces Magazine publication reports, agreement value is already known and comprises $75 million. How many kits total will be supplied for these funds is not disclosed, but Mitchell Institute director of advanced concepts and capability assessment, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Mark Gunzinger emphasized JDAM LR will cost much less than more advanced long-range munitions, so it should be considered as affordable mass-application asset.
If JDAM LR is ordered for Ukraine, it can be integrated without problems on those aircraft that already strike rashists with aviation bombs with JDAM kits.
But JDAM LR operation may have own nuances — since 555 km range is achieved only when fighter drops aviation bomb with kit from high altitude, so aircraft remains in relative safety, launches must be conducted from significant range from front line, so russians cannot reach it with surface-to-air missiles or air-to-air missiles. And this will mean real JDAM LR range, if counting from front line to engaged target, will be not so large.
At same time, JDAM remain vulnerable to EW assets, which negatively affects their accuracy. And the longer aviation bomb with JDAM LR flies, the more time russian electronic warfare systems can affect it.
Also currently hardly expedient to speak about JDAM LR for Ukraine in short-term perspective, since U.S. during Operation Epic Fury in iran spent considerable JDAM kit quantity, so supplies will primarily go toward replenishing stocks.
Previously Defense Express reported whether U.S. overpriced JDAM-ER glide bomb kits for Ukraine.
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