Navy orders more Laser JDAM kits

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ST. LOUIS, April 18 (UPI) -- More than 1,000 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions sensors have been ordered by the U.S. Navy from Boeing, the company announced.

The contract for 1,116 Laser JDAM kits, from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, is worth $12.5 million.

"The Boeing JDAM family of weapons has been used by warfighters and their allies around the globe for more than a decade," said Debbie Rub, Boeing vice president and general manager, Missiles and Unmanned Airborne Systems.

"The advanced capability of Laser JDAM offers our customers unparalleled accuracy and flexibility against a wider range of emerging threats on today's battlefields."

JDAM is a guidance kit attached to free-fall bombs, turning them into guided weapons. With the added laser sensor, the JDAM equipped bombs can be used against moving targets, maritime threats and other relocatable targets of opportunity.

Boeing said the new order is a follow-on to one for 700 Laser JDAM kits, worth $8.3 million, received from NAVAIR in January.

Deliveries under both low-rate production contracts carry through early next year.