JDAM
Joint Direct Attack Munition
Joint Direct Attack Munition is a low-cost guidance kit that converts unguided gravity bombs into precision-guided weapons using GPS and inertial navigation.
The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance kit that bolts onto conventional unguided bombs (typically 500, 1,000, or 2,000 pounds) and converts them into accurate, all-weather precision weapons. The kit adds a GPS/INS guidance system, a computer, and steerable tail fins to a standard bomb body, providing a CEP of approximately 5 meters in any weather condition, day or night.
JDAM was developed in response to the Gulf War experience, where laser-guided bombs proved highly effective in clear weather but could not be used through clouds, smoke, or dust. GPS guidance solved this limitation, a JDAM does not need to see the target or maintain a laser spot, it simply steers itself to a set of GPS coordinates regardless of weather or visibility. At roughly $25,000 per kit, JDAM also costs a fraction of more sophisticated guided weapons.
Since its introduction in 1999, JDAM has become the most widely used precision weapon in the American arsenal. Over 500,000 kits have been produced, and the system has been employed in every U.S. military operation since Kosovo. The addition of a laser seeker (creating the Laser JDAM) allows the weapon to engage moving targets, combining the all-weather reliability of GPS with the precision of laser guidance for the best of both approaches.
Related Terms
PGM(Precision-Guided Munition)
Precision-Guided Munition is any weapon that uses a guidance system to steer itself to a specific target, achieving dramatically greater accuracy than unguided weapons.
GPS(Global Positioning System)
Global Positioning System is a satellite-based navigation network operated by the U.S. Space Force that provides precise location, velocity, and timing data to military and civilian users worldwide.
CEP(Circular Error Probable)
Circular Error Probable is a measure of a weapon's accuracy, defined as the radius of a circle centered on the target within which 50% of strikes are expected to land.
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