Overview
- Naval Air Systems Command disclosed at the Sea-Air-Space symposium that early April flights of the Boeing-built JDAM-LR, designated GBU-75, reached more than 200 nautical miles after launch from F/A-18 Super Hornets.
- Officials describe the weapon as a low-cost guided munition that can attack targets on land or at sea at roughly 300 nautical miles, offering far more reach than current air-launched Harpoon or SLAM-ER missiles.
- The Navy says JDAM-LR will also support aerial mining, with a QuickStrike Long Range variant that pairs a Mk 82 bomb with a ship-detecting sensor to seed minefields from far outside coastal defenses.
- Program leaders emphasize standoff as the key benefit, saying the added range lets non-stealth fighters release weapons well outside modern air defenses in contested regions.
- Reporting describes a powered JDAM kit with a small turbojet and new networking and seeker options and estimates a unit price under $200,000, though final specifications, costs, and fielding timelines have not been released.