Boeing Builds Long-Range Cruise Missile Kits for Navy

Boeing has been awarded a $75 million contract by the U.S. Navy to build BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit kits, which will turn cheap 500-pound guided bombs into low-cost cruise missiles.

The kits, developed in collaboration with Kratos, add a turbojet engine and onboard power generation to JDAMs, enabling them to strike targets from more than 345 nautical miles away.

This is significantly longer range than the standard JDAM's 17-mile capability or the JDAM-LR's 52-mile reach.

The GBU-75 JDAM-LR will have a 500-pound payload, roughly twice that of new low-cost cruise missiles, and is estimated to cost around $200,000 per weapon.