The US Navy has successfully tested a new air-launched jet-powered bomb, bringing the sea service a major step closer to effectively fielding an affordable cruise-missile-like munition that can be fired from standoff ranges.
The new bomb — a long-range variant of the Navy’s Joint Direct Attack Munition — can be launched from F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets embarked on US aircraft carriers and can be used in combat missions like those flown during the Iran war.
The Navy revealed on Monday that it had carried out two tests of the weapon earlier this month off the coast of California, during which it demonstrated the bomb’s safe separation from a fighter jet, its ability to integrate with existing interfaces, and powered flight with precision navigation.
Each Navy demonstration saw the weapon travel roughly 200 nautical miles “while maintaining consistent guidance directly to its target,” the service said.
Standard JDAMs are dumb bombs equipped with special navigation kits that turn them into precision-guided munitions. They are not powered; instead, they rely on gravity and control services to glide to their targets and explode on impact.
The long-range JDAM variant, however, is powered by a small turbojet engine, essentially turning the bomb into a precision cruise missile. This development could allow pilots to strike targets at greater distances than the standard or extended-range JDAMs, which have ranges of roughly 15 and 40 nautical miles, respectively.
US aerospace company Boeing, which manufactured the JDAM, has characterized the long-range variant as a “game-changing” improvement for precision strike missions. The bomb has a range of more than 300 nautical miles with a 500-pound warhead, or over 700 nautical miles with a low-cost decoy fuel tank.
Boeing has said this “affordable long-range PGM augments shortages in expensive standoff missiles,” using the acronym for precision guided munitions.
Capt. Sarah Abbott, the Precision Strike Weapons program manager, said in a statement on the recent tests that “as Naval Air Forces in theater continue to rely heavily on JDAM systems, the program recognizes a critical need to provide the fleet with greater standoff range.”
“This new capability allows pilots to engage targets from significantly safer distances, maintaining a tactical advantage in contested environments,” Abbott added.
The Navy said the next phase of qualification for the long-range JDAM involves shipboard integration, adding “the program remains committed to bringing this high-priority strike capability to the fleet to meet the evolving demands of modern naval warfare.”
The long-range JDAM’s development comes as the US military increasingly looks to field weapons that can deliver effects similar to cruise missiles at a fraction of the cost, while still allowing operators to launch from beyond the range of enemy defenses.
The Navy and Boeing have both emphasized affordability, though it’s unclear what the final cost of the long-range JDAM might be. Standard JDAMS cost tens of thousands of dollars apiece, while the JASSM air-launched cruise missile, the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standard Missile, has a price tag that exceeds $1 million.
JDAMs have been in service for decades and are used by militaries around the world, including several that have been involved in active combat operations this year, such as the US, Ukraine, and Israel.
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