Paul Lewis/ST LOUIS
Boeing has outlined planned product improvements for its family of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) that are under study by the US Air Force and US Navy.
Boeing is supporting on-going USN trials of the Direct Attack Munition Affordable Seeker (DAMASK) using a 900kg (2,000lb) GBU-32 JDAM - which only features GPS navigation to improve dumb bomb accuracy.
DAMASK uses an uncooled infrared imaging sensor and is similar to the autonomous targeting system planned for the Raytheon AGM-154C Joint Stand-off Weapon.
"We've integrated it into the front of JDAM and done some preliminary flight tests to demonstrate the capability to be able to control the weapon going into the target area. It takes out the target location error with GPS to give more accuracy," says Glenn Vogel, Boeing weapons programmes manager.
DAMASK is also being considered for the planned 115kg Small Smart Bomb (SSB) being tested by the USAF. The SSB is intended for use against fixed targets but, with the addition of a seeker and extended-range wing kit now being trialled, could be a contender for the USAF's broader Miniature Munition Capability (MMC) projectile for use against moving targets.
"The USAF is studying MMC to determine what kind of bomb it is," says Vogel, "it could be a 250lb or some other size". Boeing is developing a JDAM kit for the 227kg Mk82 bomb, which the USAF has selected as an interim fixed target solution while studies of smaller and moving target versions continue.
Flight demonstrations with the Alenia Marconi Diamond Back wing kit have been completed, but Boeing is also considering elements of the Leigh Aerospace Longshot bomb. "There are several candidate wing kits that could potentially be integrated with JDAM," says Vogel.
A critical factor for the seeker and wing kit is cost, which will need to be $10,000 or less to be affordable when combined with an $18,000 JDAM kit. Boeing wants the seeker and wing to cost less than the USAF's $40,000 JDAM target price set by the USAF.
Source: Flight International
