US approves JDAM-ER munitions for Saudi Arabia

The JDAM-ER now approved for Saudi Arabia adds a wingkit to the baseline JDAM to afford an increased standoff capability out to over 70 km. (Boeing)

The US Department of State has approved the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procurement of Boeing GBU-62 Joint Direct Attack Munition – Extend Range (JDAM-ER) standoff weapons by Saudi Arabia.

Announced on 4 September, the approval covers 10,004 500 lb and 2,000 lb JDAM-ER weapons comprising 5,004 KMU-572 JDAM guidance kits, 5,000 KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits, 5,004 BLU-111 500 lb general purpose bombs (GPBs), and 5,000 BLU-117 2,000 lb GBPs.

“The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia's airborne defence capability to counter current and future regional threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and improve interoperability with systems operated by US forces and other Gulf region partners,” the state department said.

With related equipment and support, the proposed sale is valued at USD5 billion.

The JDAM is a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided ‘smart' weapons. The JDAM kit consists of a tail section that contains GPS/INS (GPS is a form of Global Navigation Satellite Services: GNSS) and body strakes for additional stability and lift, with the JDAM-ER adding a wing-kit to triple the weapon's glide range to more than 70 km.

For more, please see US approves latest air-launched missiles for Saudi Arabia