'Background' of the JDAM smart bomb that the US is about to provide to Ukraine

Washington [US], December 25: Ukrainian fighter pilots will soon acquire weapons that the United States first deployed by dropping from stealth bombers over Kosovo in 1999 and later using in numerous military campaigns. post-September 11, according to The New York Times .
The weapon, known as the " Combined Direct Attack Ammo " (JDAM for short), consisted of a device that could turn a cheap, unguided bomb into a guided weapon. by GPS with high accuracy.
The administration of US President Joe Biden this week announced that JDAM will be part of a new $1.85 billion military aid package , giving Kyiv a precision-guided bombing capability the country has never before. yes.
With the right equipment, Ukrainian planes are capable of carrying multiple JDAMs on a single mission, just like US and NATO fighters.
What is this weapon?
Technically speaking, JDAM refers to a device that attaches to the US military's Mark-80 series bombs and turns it into a GPS-guided weapon.
The Mark-80's fuse is designed to easily mount a variety of tails and fuses for use in a variety of situations. Over the decades, a variety of "attached" devices have been used, serving a variety of purposes such as dropping bombs at low altitudes, turning them into land and sea mines, and eventually into a variety of guided weapons. difference.
The Mark-80's warheads are also designed to create less drag when supersonic planes carry them. It usually comes in three different sizes, from 200 to 900 kg, but it is not clear which one the US will supply to Ukraine.
Since it was first used in combat in the late 1990s, JDAM has been improved and new capabilities have been added. They can work with a variety of fuses that control where they explode: in the air, on the ground, or after going underground. One version also added wings that opened after the bomb was dropped, allowing it to fly more than 60 km towards the target.
They're also relatively cheap, according to the Pentagon's calculations. A US Navy fact sheet updated in 2021 states that the average price of a basic JDAM is just over $24,000 per set.
Origin of birth
JDAM was born out of frustration among US Air Force pilots and leaders with another type of guided bomb called the Paveway II during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
At the time, the idea was considered revolutionary: An expensive device attached to the nose and tail of the Mark-80 could make the unguided bomb able to follow the path of a laser. projected from the ground or from the aircraft above. But in Iraq, sandstorms and smoke often obstruct the path of the laser beam, causing the bomb to miss its target.
Months after that war ended, the Air Force concluded that military pilots needed a device that was no more expensive than the Paveway II and could guide bombs in all weather conditions . A new cluster of GPS satellites is the solution as they continuously transmit radio signals that can guide bombs day and night, rain or shine.
US Air Force leaders accelerated work on a similar device to produce what would eventually become the JDAM. This weapon is currently manufactured by Boeing Corporation at a factory in St. Charles, Missouri.
Why did the US just give these bombs to Ukraine now?
Unlike some US-supplied weapons, the issue is not training time or maintenance costs. Some basic hardware and software issues must be addressed: JDAMs are not designed for use with Russian-made bombs that Ukraine is using, while Ukraine's Russian-origin fighters are not. American-made bombs.
Since Poland 's accession to NATO, a number of Russian MIG-29 fighters have been converted to carry Western weapons, but that necessitated the replacement of the Soviet-designed computer system and a number of wiring by western system..
The Pentagon did not provide much information on how JDAM will operate in Ukraine.
What is the problem to be solved?
In 2022, engineers basically have to make JDAM able to operate on Russian-origin aircraft with the least amount of adjustment.
The standard bombs used by the US and Russia are very different in design, as are the devices used to attach them to fighters and drop them on targets.
The American-made bombs have two small steel lugs that secure them to brackets designed to keep them snug at high speeds and quickly eject them from the fuselage when the pilot presses the release button. Meanwhile, many Russian bombs have only one lug and their holders are not compatible with US-made weapons.
The US military solved the most difficult part of the problem a few months ago, when Ukrainian pilots first fired US-made high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs). An adapter was created to connect a device called a mount and other components that help the weapon fasten to the aircraft
At Ramstein Air Base in Germany, a team called Gray Wolf is tasked with supporting the Ukrainian air force, both tactically and technically.
How much JDAM has been produced?
Boeing says on its website that it has produced more than 500,000 sets of JDAMs for the US and its allies.
The amount of US JDAM that will be supplied to Ukraine is yet to be made public, although it is likely that it will be a 200 kg JDAM at an early stage. This marks a significant increase in Ukraine's precision-guided weapons capabilities.
"It's very important," said Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former defense minister of Ukraine.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper