GBU-38

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-38 is a JDAM guidance kit installed on a Mk. 82 500-pound conventional bomb. Up to two can be mounted on a BRU-55.

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