Overview
- The Air Force awarded Boeing a $75 million undefinitized contract action on Wednesday to start initial production of the BSU‑111/B Payload Delivery Unit for the Navy.
- The kit, called JDAM LR or GBU‑75, pairs an existing JDAM guidance tail kit and aircraft interface with a folding wing and compact turbojet to convert a 500‑lb bomb into a powered, long‑range weapon.
- U.S. Navy flight tests in April showed clean separation from an F/A‑18, engine start, sustained powered flight and guided terminal flight over roughly 200 nautical miles with impacts very near the planned target.
- The contract is undefinitized, so Boeing and the government have not disclosed order quantities, per‑unit price or delivery dates as qualification and aircraft integration work continue.
- Boeing says it invested about $100 million of its own funds, plans production at its St. Charles, Missouri site, and pitches the weapon as a lower‑cost, mass‑producible standoff option that can be carried by many aircraft already certified for JDAMs.