Boeing Wins Contract for Advanced Smart Missiles
The US Air Force has awarded Boeing Defense a $75-million contract to start production of the Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range Payload Delivery Unit (JDAM LR).
This marks a significant milestone for the JDAM LR program, which aims to deliver precision-guided weapons capable of striking targets over 300 nautical miles away.
The new design builds on the existing JDAM precision-guided weapons, incorporating foldable wings, a small turbojet engine, and standard aircraft interfaces. It can carry a 500-lb payload and is expected to be manufactured by Boeing's existing JDAM production infrastructure.
Boeing invested nearly $100 million in developing the JDAM LR before receiving the production contract. The company recently completed a successful powered flight test off the California coast, demonstrating its ability to navigate using military-code GPS and guide itself to the target.