U.S. Air Force orders more JDAM kits

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ST. LOUIS, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Boeing is producing more conventional Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kits for the U.S. Air Force and will begin delivery in mid-2013.

The order from the Air Force -- the third for JDAM kits over 12 months -- is for 5,000 units and worth $126 million.

"After more than a decade of protecting U.S. warfighters and their allies across the globe, we are proud that JDAMs have continued to be their weapon of choice," said Debbie Rub, Boeing vice president and general manager, Missiles and Unmanned Airborne Systems.

"Our innovative team continues to quickly meet our customers' ever-evolving needs with unprecedented accuracy and affordable new add-ons such as the laser sensor."

JDAM is a modular system attached to the housing of a free-fall bomb that transforms the bomb into a precise guided weapon. It was introduced into service in 1998 and has since been upgraded with an all-weather sensor and other devices.

The Air Force ordered 3,500 kits in January of last year and 4,000 in March for a combined value of $180 million.

Boeing said the new order deliveries would continue through May 2014.

In addition to the conventional JDAM, Boeing produces JDAM kits equipped with laser sensors and has supplied them to the Air Force and U.S. Navy.