The United States of America will provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with long-range aviation bombs with GPS guidance manufactured by the Boeing company, which are capable of hitting targets at a distance of 72 km.
This was reported by the online publication European Pravda, referring to the Bloomberg agency.
The Pentagon has not officially acknowledged that it is sending a modified version of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) of Boeing, saying only that it will send "high-precision aerial munitions" as part of a USD 1.85 billion package announced on December 21, 2022.
But two people familiar with the matter confirmed to the publication that the weapon is an extended-range JDAM, known as JDAM-ER. They asked not to be named because the details are not being released.
Pentagon spokeswoman Kelly Flinn said the US would not identify the munition, citing operational security. JDAM kits are used by the US Air Force and Navy and have also been sold to more than 26 countries.
JDAM-ER can be installed on unguided bombs weighing from 190 to 750 kg. After being dropped, the bomb deploys its wings, allowing it to hover at a distance of up to 72 km and triple the range of the original weapon. The Extended-Range JDAM was developed in collaboration with the Royal Australian Air Force.
On January 20, Boeing received a USD 40.5 million order from the Air Force under an existing contract. The work must be completed by June 30. This contract shows that the US and Ukraine have jointly developed a method by which Soviet-era fighter jets operated in Ukraine can program and launch JDAM-ER.
The extended-range JDAM-ER system and Boeing's Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) are among the new weapons the Pentagon announced this month for Ukraine.
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