The award follows nearly $100 million in internal investment by Boeing. JDAM Long Range can travel more than 300 nautical miles while carrying a 500-pound-class payload.
The weapon combines the existing JDAM guidance tail kit and aircraft interface with a wing kit and compact turbojet engine. Boeing said the design supports rapid integration with aircraft already capable of carrying conventional JDAM weapons.
JDAM Long Range is intended for conventional land strikes, naval strikes and maritime aerial-mining missions. Its use of existing JDAM infrastructure is designed to support high-volume production at lower cost.
“This first production contract is a major milestone for the JDAM LR program, demonstrating our ability to deliver long-range precision-strike capability at a significantly lower cost,” said Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems. “Scaling production of the GBU-75 will provide the fleet with an affordable, sustainable solution designed to eliminate long-range land and sea-based threats to U.S. and international forces and enable them to safely and effectively operate in a contested battlespace.”
The system recently completed its first flight test off the California coast. It sustained powered flight along a predefined profile and used military-code GPS navigation while maintaining guidance to the target.
The earlier Boeing release said flight tests were conducted on April 1 and April 3. The company is establishing manufacturing space at its St. Charles, Missouri, facility while completing qualification and aircraft-integration work.
“JDAM LR gives operators an affordable, mass-producible option for striking targets from beyond the effective range of enemy defenses,” Ciesla said. Boeing did not disclose the planned production quantity or initial fielding schedule.
“As Naval Air Forces in theater continue to rely heavily on JDAM systems, the program recognizes a critical need to provide the fleet with greater standoff range,” said Capt. Sarah Abbott, Precision Strike Weapons program manager. “This new capability allows pilots to engage targets from significantly safer distances, maintaining a tactical advantage in contested environments.”
