Boeing To Supply Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition To U.S Navy

Boeing has won a $23 million contract for the first full rate production contract of the Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition ( Laser JDAM) from the U.S Navy. Boeing will deliver 2,384 precision laser guided sets to the U.S Navy by February 2014. Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) were ordered in previous, amounting to about 2,500 kits which will be used in field weapons assembly, expanding the capability of basic JDAM tail kits, Global Positioning System aided Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) and laser guided weapon. JDAM can be launched from more than 15 miles from the target with updates from GPS satellites to help guide the weapon to the target. Laser JDAMs are highly accurate and it has been integrated with the GBU-38, GBU-31 and GBU-32. The modified weapon has accumulated more than 20,000 flight hours for the Navy and Marines. It provides the fleet tactical flexibility for use on all F/A-18 and AV-8B aircraft. Kristin Robertson, director, Boeing Direct Attack Weapons, said, “Laser JDAMs are being used more and more by the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The laser variant has been incredibly effective in attacking moving targets accurately and reliably, with minimal collateral damage. Adding the laser sensor to a conventional JDAM kit is an affordable option that’s easy for ordnance crews to install and very straightforward for pilots already familiar with JDAM”. Capt. Carl Chebi, Precision Strike Weapons program manager, said, “The weapon’s modification provides the naval and joint warfighters with a lethal, interoperable and cost-effective precision strike weapon system. It has the capability to operate more effectively in adverse weather conditions and combat ground targets in motion”.