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Australian developed enhancements to the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) have completed their first round of testing, Defence officials announced today.
Australia’s JDAM will be enhanced through an Extended Range wing kit, a Low Collateral Damage warhead and a Laser Guidance System, Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare said in a joint statement.
The wing kit allows the JDAM to glide towards its designated target, providing it with the capacity to engage targets at a substantially greater distance than the current JDAM, which will allow RAAF aircrew to engage their targets from beyond the range of enemy air defences, the statement said.
The laser guidance system will also improve the JDAM’s capacity to be guided to attack moving targets while retaining the original JDAM GPS guidance modes.
The extended range kit was jointly developed as part of a Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and Boeing. Under an agreement with Boeing, an Australian company will manufacture the JDAM Extended Range wing kit.
Defence believes the wing kit has strong export potential and may become available for international sale through the newly established Australian Military Sales Office.
