Lockheed Martin is expressing interest in becoming a second source of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits produced by Boeing, building on its recent success of qualifying to supply the US Air Force withGBU-10/12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb (LGB) kits.
Sources within both companies say Lockheed Martin has asked about establishing a second line for the JDAM family of GPS satellite-navigation guided weapons. However, a second source is not currently under consideration by the USAF's weapons programme office, which adds that it is happy with Boeing's performance.
Boeing has progressively increased JDAM GBU-31/32 kit production for the Mk83 450kg (1,000lb) and Mk84 900kg bombs from 700 a month a year ago to 1,800 units last month. Output will rise to 2,000 by December, and again to 2,800 kits by next August following a move into a new facility at Boeing's plant in St Charles, Missouri.
JDAM orders now total 70,000 kits, and with the recent addition of the 227kg GBU-30, and the future 113kg GBU-29 small-diameter bomb, this will grow with an eventual inventory objective of 236,000 weapons. Lockheed Martin also faces a challenge matching Boeing's JDAM costs, which have been gradually lowered to just under $21,000 per kit.
Lockheed Martin has invested $15 million to establish its Paveway plant at Archbald, Pennsylvania, and as a result of competition, claims to have cut pricing by 35% to $13,000-15,000 per kit. In August, the USAF approved the plant for production of GBU-10 and -12 kits for 900kg and 227kg bombs respectively and awarded the company an $18.6 million contract for 1,300 rounds.
Lockheed Martin has been delivering 450kg GBU-16 kits to the US Navy since February, which ordered 8,000 LGB units. The company claims to have saved the USN and USAF $80 million over the first two years of competition with Raytheon. A 2003 procurement decision for 15,000-18,000 more Paveway II units is still pending.
Source: Flight International
