GBU-31 (V) 1B — GBU-31 (V) 1B

Designation

GBU-31 (V) 1B

Compatible aircraft

FA18C, A10C2

WIP
USAF GBU-31 (Mk-84 warhead)

JDAM is a kit that modifies a Mk. 80-series conventional bomb, giving it precision INS/GPS guidance capability. The JDAM kit consists of a GPS receiver, integral INS, and steerable fins. JDAM bombs must downlink target coordinates prior to release and cannot be manually steered or re-targeted after release. Modern JDAM kits have a precision of around 25 feet circular error probable (CEP).

The Joint Direct Attack Munition program began after Operation Desert Storm, when the US Air Force sought a weapon that could guide more reliably than an LGB in adverse weather such as dust storms. After extensive testing, the concept of an INS/GPS-guided bomb was shown to be effective by 1993, and the first JDAM kits were delivered to operational squadrons in 1997.

The GBU-31(V)4/B is a JDAM guidance kit installed on a BLU-109, a 500-pound hardened penetrating bomb. USN variant.