Boeing wins big contract to turn 'dumb bombs' into smart weapons

The US Department of Defense announced that Boeing has won a contract worth approximately $7.5 billion to build kits to turn bombs into guided weapons – commonly known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). ) for the Air Force.

Boeing will build JDAM tail kits, spare parts, repairs, engineering kits and sensor kits for Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions under the contract announced Friday.

Work will be performed at the Boeing Defense Space and Security facility in St. Louis, Missouri.

Boeing Contract – Delivery and Capabilities

The Air Force has not revealed how many JDAM kits will be supplied by Boeing under the contract. The company's delivery deadline is the end of February 2030.

The US Navy will receive JDAM kits as it helps fund the contract, according to the Air Force. Some parts will also go to foreign customers, with more than $228 million of the contract coming from foreign military sales funds.

JDAM is a guidance kit that converts existing free-fall bombs into precision-guided smart weapons. It works by adding a new tail section containing inertial navigation system/global positioning system guidance to multiple bomb types.

With the addition of JDAM, warfighters benefit from the ability to deliver precise weapons against a wide range of targets, in all weather conditions.

According to Boeing, the JDAM can be dropped from a flexible release envelope more than 15 miles from a target.

To make JDAMs, guide tail kits are attached to unguided bombs weighing between 500 and 2,000 pounds. The tail kit allows the bomb to be aimed from an aircraft towards its target on the ground.

The JDAM-Extended Range kit provides an enhanced range of over 40 miles.

JDAM – pricing and importance

Advanced versions of JDAMs are also offered by Boeing. These include Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions (Laser JDAM) and Powered Joint Direct Attack Munitions (PJDAM).

The JDAM Lasers feature an additional DSU-38 laser sensor which makes them more effective against moving targets and maritime targets due to their greater accuracy.

As reported The defense post, the cost of a unit of JDAM can range from $25,000 to $84,000, depending on the parts brought in and other factors. Therefore, the number of units that will be received by the Air Force cannot be established with certainty.

They are a favorite of the US armed forces and their allies due to their ease of adaptation and characteristics that increase the unit's capabilities.

JDAMS are combat proven and more than half a million tail kits have already been built by Boeing for the United States and its allies. The US Air Force, Navy and US Marines use different versions of JDAM and other precision targeting systems offered by the same company.

This contract comes at a time when the United States and its allies need munitions that can help them in several operations. Ukraine is embroiled in a war with Russia, while China is also turning up the heat in the Indo-Pacific region.

Therefore, awarding the contract to Boeing appears to be a timely move by the Pentagon to ensure that the armed forces have sufficient reserves and can maintain their superiority.