Ukraine already uses JDAM

The Ukrainian Air Force is already using JDAM kits for unguided bombs, as told by Yurii Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force Command.

“We use JDAMs. These are Western-type bombs with which our aircraft successfully strikes important targets. These bombs are slightly less powerful, but extremely high-precision. I would like to have more such bombs for success at the front,” said Yurii Ignat.

In December, the Pentagon announced that it would provide Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits to Ukraine.

JDAM converts conventional unguided bombs into all-weather precision-guided munitions.

Already in March, the Commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa, James Hecker, said that long-range GPS-guided aircraft ammunition was transferred to Ukraine, which can hit targets at a distance of 72 km.

Then they emphasized that it regarded JDAM-ER.

“We have recently delivered some precision-guided munitions [to Ukraine] that have an extended range and go a little further than the gravity bomb and have accurate [guidance]. It’s a recent opportunity that we’ve been able to provide to them [Australia] probably over the last three weeks,” Hecker said.

The announcement was made during a roundtable discussion on the sidelines of the 2023 Aerospace Forces Association military symposium that had begun March 6 in Aurora, Colorado.

Presumably, the stock of these bombs in Ukraine is now relatively small.

The exact configuration of JDAM-ER, which could be obtained by Ukraine, is unknown. It is also unclear which platforms Ukrainian forces are using to deliver these weapons.

GPS-based JDAM kits convert simple free-flowing gravity bombs into all-weather precision-guided munitions. The kit includes an inertial navigation system and GPS receiver to improve accuracy, as well as small wings attached to the middle of the bomb, and a tail unit that has a tail section with aerodynamic control surfaces; it allows the bomb to adjust its course during its flight to the target. The unit houses navigation and other equipment.