What are JDAMs? And what will they do for Ukraine?

US Delivers Satellite-Guided Bombs to Kyiv for First Time in New 1.85 Military Assistance Program billion.
A US weapon first dropped by stealth bombers over Kosovo in 1999, then in combat after 9/11, will soon be used by Ukrainian pilots flying Russian-made planes to kill Russian soldiers.
The weapon, called Joint Direct Attack Munition, consists of a kit that turns a cheap unguided bomb into a highly accurate GPS-guided weapon. It is usually referred to as JDAM (pronounced JAY-dam).
The Biden administration announced this week that the weapons would be part of a new military aid package from $1.85 billion, giving Kyiv a precision-guided bombing capability it has never had.
When dropped from altitudes higher, the bomb can travel about 15 miles to its target before exploding.
With the right type of equipment, Ukrainian jets could potentially carry multiple JDAMs on a single mission, much like US and US fighter jets. 'NATO.
What are these weapons? ?
Technically speaking, JDAM refers to a kit that bolts onto the US Army's Mark-80 series general-purpose bomb and turns it into a GPS-guided weapon.< /p>< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The Mark-80 warhead, which was developed shortly after World War II, was designed to be easily fitted with a variety of fins and fuzes for use in a range of situations. Over the decades, different attachments have been deployed - for low-level bombing, and to transform into land and sea mines, and finally into various types of guided weapons.
The Mark-80 warhead was designed just after WWII as a modular weapon that could be fitted with different types of fins and fuzes, and was streamlined to create less drag when firing. is transported by supersonic jets. It generally comes in three sizes ranging from 500 to 2,000 pounds. However, it is unclear which model(s) will be supplied to Ukraine.
Since their first combat use in the late 1990s, JDAMs have been improved and new abilities have been added. They can operate with a variety of rockets that control whether they explode above ground, on the surface, or after burrowing into the ground. An updated kit adds a pair of wings that open after the bomb is dropped, allowing it to fly over 40 miles to a target.
They're also relatively inexpensive, by the Pentagon math. An updated 2021 Navy fact sheet pegged the average price of the basic JDAM kit at just over $24,000 each.
Where do they come from?
JDAM was born out of pilot frustration and Air Force leaders had a different type of guided bomb during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
First used in small numbers towards the end of the Vietnam War, this bomb was called Paveway II. At the time, the idea was considered revolutionary: an expensive kit attached to the nose and tail of a Mark-80 could make the otherwise unguided bomb maneuverable along the path of a laser radiating from the ground or from an aircraft overhead. But in Iraq, sandstorms and smoke often disrupted the path of the laser beams, causing the bomb to miss its target.
Months after the end of that war, the Air Force decided that military pilots needed a kit that cost no more than Paveway II and could guide bombs in all weather conditions. A new constellation of GPS satellites offered a solution, continuously emitting radio signals capable of guiding bombs day and night, rain or shine.
Air Force leaders accelerated work on a similar device to produce what eventually became JDAMs, which are now manufactured by Boeing at a f...

World Dec 24, 2022 0 67 Add to Reading List

What are JDAMs? And what will they do for Ukraine?

US Delivers Satellite-Guided Bombs to Kyiv for First Time in New 1.85 Military Assistance Program billion.

A US weapon first dropped by stealth bombers over Kosovo in 1999, then in combat after 9/11, will soon be used by Ukrainian pilots flying Russian-made planes to kill Russian soldiers.

The weapon, called Joint Direct Attack Munition, consists of a kit that turns a cheap unguided bomb into a highly accurate GPS-guided weapon. It is usually referred to as JDAM (pronounced JAY-dam).

The Biden administration announced this week that the weapons would be part of a new military aid package from $1.85 billion, giving Kyiv a precision-guided bombing capability it has never had.

When dropped from altitudes higher, the bomb can travel about 15 miles to its target before exploding.

With the right type of equipment, Ukrainian jets could potentially carry multiple JDAMs on a single mission, much like US and US fighter jets. 'NATO.

What are these weapons? ?

Technically speaking, JDAM refers to a kit that bolts onto the US Army's Mark-80 series general-purpose bomb and turns it into a GPS-guided weapon.< /p>< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The Mark-80 warhead, which was developed shortly after World War II, was designed to be easily fitted with a variety of fins and fuzes for use in a range of situations. Over the decades, different attachments have been deployed - for low-level bombing, and to transform into land and sea mines, and finally into various types of guided weapons.

The Mark-80 warhead was designed just after WWII as a modular weapon that could be fitted with different types of fins and fuzes, and was streamlined to create less drag when firing. is transported by supersonic jets. It generally comes in three sizes ranging from 500 to 2,000 pounds. However, it is unclear which model(s) will be supplied to Ukraine.

Since their first combat use in the late 1990s, JDAMs have been improved and new abilities have been added. They can operate with a variety of rockets that control whether they explode above ground, on the surface, or after burrowing into the ground. An updated kit adds a pair of wings that open after the bomb is dropped, allowing it to fly over 40 miles to a target.

They're also relatively inexpensive, by the Pentagon math. An updated 2021 Navy fact sheet pegged the average price of the basic JDAM kit at just over $24,000 each.

Where do they come from?

JDAM was born out of pilot frustration and Air Force leaders had a different type of guided bomb during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

First used in small numbers towards the end of the Vietnam War, this bomb was called Paveway II. At the time, the idea was considered revolutionary: an expensive kit attached to the nose and tail of a Mark-80 could make the otherwise unguided bomb maneuverable along the path of a laser radiating from the ground or from an aircraft overhead. But in Iraq, sandstorms and smoke often disrupted the path of the laser beams, causing the bomb to miss its target.

Months after the end of that war, the Air Force decided that military pilots needed a kit that cost no more than Paveway II and could guide bombs in all weather conditions. A new constellation of GPS satellites offered a solution, continuously emitting radio signals capable of guiding bombs day and night, rain or shine.

Air Force leaders accelerated work on a similar device to produce what eventually became JDAMs, which are now manufactured by Boeing at a f...