GBU-75 JDAM LR cleared for production with contract from USAF

Boeing’s JDAM LR builds on the JDAM family of weapons to offer low-cost precision strike at long range. It can be rapidly integrated with any aircraft capable of carrying conventional JDAMs. (US Navy)

Warsight

7 August 2026

The US Air Force has awarded Boeing a USD 75 million (EUR 65 million) Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) to acquire the BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit (PDU) for the GBU-75 Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM LR), Boeing announced on 5 August 2026.

JDAM LR is a precision-guided munition that can travel over 300 nautical miles with a 500 lb-class (226 kg) payload. The UCA follows Boeing’s nearly USD 100 million internal investment in the programme and clears it for initial production of PDUs for the US Navy.

While the JDAM programme is jointly managed by the US Air Force and US Navy, the air force is the lead service and therefore manages acquisitions.

JDAM LR combines the proven JDAM guidance tail kit and aircraft interface with a wing kit and compact turbojet engine to provide long-range capability for precision conventional land strike, naval strike and maritime aerial-mining missions. By leveraging existing JDAM infrastructure, it enables high-volume production and rapid integration with any aircraft capable of carrying conventional JDAMs.

“This first production contract is a major milestone for the JDAM LR programme, demonstrating our ability to deliver long-range precision-strike capability at a significantly lower cost,” Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Scaling production of the GBU-75 will provide the fleet with an affordable, sustainable solution designed to eliminate long-range land and sea-based threats to US and international forces and enable them to safely and effectively operate in a contested battlespace.”

The JDAM LR completed its first flight test off the coast of California in early April 2026, meeting the objectives of sustaining powered flight on a predefined test profile and using military-code GPS navigation while maintaining consistent guidance directly to its target.

“JDAM LR gives operators an affordable, mass-producible option for striking targets from beyond the effective range of enemy defences,” Ciesla added.