Ukrainian Air Force demonstrated the JDAM-ER bombs

4 July, 2023 A 500 lb JDAM-ER bomb with the inscription "Thank you for support". Photo credits: Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force congratulated the United States on Independence Day by painting JDAM-ER bombs and HARM anti-radiation missiles.

Mykola Oleschuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, published the photo with congratulatory messages. "On behalf of the staff of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I have the honor to congratulate the American people on this most important date in the history of the United States of America," the statement reads. The military published photos of high-precision JDAM-ER bombs with congratulatory inscriptions.

This is actually the first photo of these bombs being in service with Ukraine.

A JDAM-ER 500-pound bomb with the inscription "Glory to Ukraine and God Bless America!". Photo credits: Ukrainian Air Force

"I thank the people and the government of the United States of America for supporting Ukraine in this difficult and fateful time for the whole world. Our soldiers are successfully using American weapons to protect the Ukrainian people from Russian air terror, and our pilots are carrying out daily airstrikes," Oleschuk said.

He added that the bombs have already "reached their targets" and that Ukraine needs F-16 to save the lives of our defenders and citizens.

JDAM-ER

Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a kit of special equipment that converts unguided bombs, turning them into "smart," precision-guided munitions. The kit consists of a controlled tail and an inertial control system paired with a GPS receiver. The range of the bomb from the drop point is 28 kilometers, and a possible circular deviation is 11 meters.

The navigation system is initialized by transmission from an aircraft whose systems provide position and speed vectors. After being released from the aircraft, the JDAM autonomously follows the determined coordinates of the target.

A bomb with a JDAM-ER kit. Photo from open sources

Coordinates can be loaded into the aircraft before takeoff, changed by the crew during the flight before launch, or entered using a data channel from the onboard target designation equipment.

The flight paths of the bomb can be programmed so that the target can be hit at the right angle. Ukraine received the ER (Extended Range) version, which has a target range of 72.4 kilometers. The exact nomenclature of ammunition is not known, but from the published photo, it is clear that there are 500 lb (230 kg) versions.

The bombs were integrated into MiG-29 fighter jets.

Militarnyi recently reported that the JDAM-ER bombs hit the accumulation of personnel in the Kyiv district of Donetsk and the command and observation post in Verkhniotoretsk.