Smart bombs on target

Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare have announced that Australia’s enhanced Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) has completed its first round of testing.

The JDAM is a guidance system that converts an unguided or ‘dumb’ bomb into a guided weapon that can be launched from the Classic Hornet and Super Hornet aircraft and in the future by the Joint Strike Fighter.

Australia’s JDAM will be enhanced through an Extended Range wing kit, a Low Collateral Damage warhead and a Laser Guidance System.

The wing kit allows the JDAM to glide towards its designated target, providing it with the capacity to engage targets at a substantially greater distance than the current JDAM allowing RAAF aircrew to engage their targets from beyond the range of enemy air defences.

The laser guidance system will also improve the JDAM’s capacity to be guided to, and attack, moving targets whilst retaining the original JDAM Global Position System guidance modes.

The extended range kit was jointly developed as part of a Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and Boeing.

Under an agreement with Boeing an Australian company will manufacture the JDAM Extended Range wing kit.

The wing kit has strong export potential and may become available for international sale through the newly established Australian Military Sales Office.