Boeing Secures $75M Contract for Long-Range JDAM Production

Boeing has secured a $75 million contract from the US Air Force to produce the GBU-75, a long-range version of the Joint Direct Attack Munition. The GBU-75 can travel over 300 nautical miles and is intended for precision land strike, naval strike, and maritime aerial mining.

The award comes after Boeing invested nearly $100 million in the programme and follows successful first flight tests off the coast of California. According to Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems, '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.'

The GBU-75 uses an existing JDAM guidance tail kit and aircraft interface, adding a wing kit and compact turbojet engine. This allows for high-volume production and integration with any aircraft already cleared to carry a conventional JDAM.