With Russian forces pushing further inside Ukraine and capturing strategic frontline towns, the Ukrainian Air Force has started attacking Russian positions with the 1,000-pound (or 460-kilogram) variant of the Joint Advanced Direct Munition -Extended Range (JDAM-ER) bombs.
The Joint Direct Attack Munition is a guidance tail kit that transforms existing unguided free-fall bombs into precise, weather-adverse “smart” munitions.
The complete JDAM kit comprises a new tail containing a GPS-assisted inertial navigation system (INS) guidance system and strakes fitted elsewhere along the bomb’s body, which offers a limited ability to glide toward its intended target.
Until now, the Ukrainian Air Force was known to be using the 500-pound (226 kilograms) MK 82 warhead as the payload on JDAM and JDAM-ER. However, a new video that surfaced on social media on February 1 shows a Ukrainian Su-27 launching a JDAM-ER with a 1,000-pound MK 83 as the payload for the first time.
Ukraine received the JDAM and JDAM-ER bombs from the United States in 2023. The bombs have since been integrated into the Soviet-origin Su-27 and MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters by using special pylons under the wings of these aircraft. The first reports of Ukraine using these smart bombs surfaced in March 2023.
Intriguingly, the United States did not publicize the delivery of the Mk-83 payload to Ukraine. It was likely transferred to Kyiv as part of the last few military aid packages signed off by former President Joe Biden.
The use of the Mk-83 payload comes at a time when the grinding war has reached an inflection point, with the new US President stressing that he is serious about ending the war.
Trump announced on January 31 that his administration has already held “very serious” talks with Russia, and he and President Vladimir Putin could soon take “significant” steps to end the conflict. The President stopped short of specifying what the efforts could be. This has, nonetheless, ratcheted tensions in both quarters.
Both Russia and Ukraine are making concerted efforts to maximize their battlefield advantages before they are forced to sit across the negotiating table.
Russia, for one, has intensified its offensive to push further inside Ukraine at this critical juncture. The key eastern Ukrainian stronghold of Chasiv Yar fell to the advancing Russian forces earlier this week after almost a year of intense fighting. Russian forces have also intensified aerial strikes against Ukraine, trying to deal a maximum blow.
This puts in perspective why Ukraine has intensified its offensive against Russia. The JDAM carrying an Mk-83 packs double the explosion compared to the 500-pound Mk-82.
This essentially means it can now cause severe devastation against hardened Russian military targets and infrastructure along the frontline. The Russian Ministry of Defense, however, is yet to report on the use of the 1,000-pound bomb.
JDAM-ER Battering Russia
JDAMs are wing kits that transform straightforward free-falling bombs into guided munitions, increasing accuracy by allowing the bomb to change its trajectory as it gets closer to the target with the aid of a GPS.
Depending on the altitude at which it is released, a JDAM can hit targets at a range of up to 24 kilometers. The JDAM-ER’s wing kit extends this range up to around 72 kilometers.
“JDAM enables employment of accurate air-to-surface weapons against high priority fixed and relocatable targets from fighter and bomber aircraft. Guidance is facilitated through a tail control system and a GPS-aided INS. The navigation system is initialized by transfer alignment from the aircraft that provides position and velocity vectors from the aircraft systems,” according to the US Air Force (USAF).
Because of the guidance package’s INS component, the bomb can maintain a high level of precision even if the GPS signal is lost or jammed. The JDAM-ER’s wing kit extends the weapon’s range and contributes to increased survivability.
Moreover, the JDAM can be launched with an on-axis or off-axis delivery from extremely low to very high altitudes in a dive, toss, or loft, as well as in straight and level flight. JDAM enables multiple weapons to be directed against single or multiple targets on a single pass.
After being released from the aircraft, this bomb independently navigates to the specified target coordinates. Target coordinates can be automatically entered using onboard aircraft sensors to designate the target, manually changed by the pilots before weapon discharge, or loaded into the aircraft before flight.
The combination of Su-27 and JDAM-ER bombs has been described as “deadly” by military analysts. Earlier, military and aviation analyst David Axe explained in an article for Forbes: “The Su-27 should make an excellent JDAM platform. The winged JDAM-ER can glide as far as 50 miles if the launching aircraft piles on speed and steeply climbs in the moments before release. The Su-27, with its twin AL-31F engines, can produce 28 tons of thrust in afterburner. More than enough to toss a JDAM-ER out to its maximum range.”
The JDAM-ER enhances Ukraine’s tactical capabilities by allowing air forces to engage high-priority targets at greater distances. The risk to the pilot and the aircraft is reduced because of its increased range, which allows an aircraft to strike without passing through heavily controlled airspace.
In May 2024, the US announced it was buying add-on seekers that will enable Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) precision-guided bombs provided to Ukraine to target Russian GPS jammers to further improve the survivability of these lethal munitions.
Even a small number of these 1,000-pound bombs can deal heavy blows to Russian targets–a significant advantage for Ukraine amid uncertainty regarding military aid from the Trump administration.
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