Kadena Air Base, Japan. (November 3, 2024): How do you make a bomb that is as dumb as a rock into a highly targeted, incredibly accurate killing machine? In this photo by Senior Airman Luis E. Rios Calderon, Airmen 1st Class Tanner England, an 18th Munitions Squadron support equipment maintenance technician, readies the wiring on the inside of a joint direct attack munition guidance tail kit component. Once attached, the munition kit turns an ordinary gravity bomb into something quite extraordinary. The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) converts unguided bombs into smart, precision-guided munitions and was jointly developed by the United States Air Force and United States Navy.

The services wanted to improve bombing accuracy after shortcomings encountered during the Air Force’s bombing campaign during Desert Storm. Laser and infrared imaging were hindered by bad weather conditions, airborne dust, fog, and even cloud cover. The JDAM was meant to overcome these environmental factors to maintain a “lock” on the target.

JDAM kits contain a global positioning system (GPS) and an inertial navigation system (INS) that guides the bomb to its target. Once released from the aircraft, the JDAM autonomously navigates to the designated target coordinates. Target data can be loaded into the aircraft before takeoff, manually altered by the aircrew, or entered by a datalink to change direction even during flight. There are JDAM kits for bombs ranging from 500 to 2,000 pounds.

In terms of improved accuracy, JDAMs were dropped in a variety of conditions, during intensive testing achieving a 95% system reliability and an accuracy rate of nine 9.6 meters. Other key features include a range of up to fifteen miles and the JDAM is less expensive than laser or television guided bombs. 

The JDAM has been used in many conflicts, including the War on Terror, the Iraq War, and the Syrian Civil War.