Boeing and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a jet turbine power kit that can turn a standard 500-pound (228-kilogram) "dumb" into a miniature precision cruise missile.
McDonnell Douglas and its partners developed a bolt kit in the 1990s that turned a standard iron bomb into a precision weapon without any modifications to the bomb itself. Known as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), it consists of a guidance system, GPS navigation, a seeker sensor and a tail steering system.
Together, these systems transform a standard bomb into a precise, day-night, all-weather munition. The standard JDAM kit has a flight time of less than 100 seconds and can accurately bomb within 16 feet (5 meters) of a target.
The problem is that the standard JDAM kit has a range of only about 13 nautical miles (16 miles/24 kilometers), while the extended-range version includes a set of folding fins that allow the bomb to glide more than 40 nautical miles (46 miles/72 kilometers). Since 2010, current manufacturer Boeing has proposed an improved kit called "PowerJDAM" that would extend the range to 700 nautical miles (805 miles/1,300 kilometers) by installing jet engines, fuel tanks and support systems, thereby turning the bomb into a small cruise missile that could serve as an anti-surface weapon launched from a fourth-generation fighter jet.
The idea has been on hold in the U.S. defense community, but appears to be moving forward after Kratos agreed to provide a TDI-J85 turbine engine capable of producing 200 pounds of thrust to propel the "power" JDAM. According to the company, the proven TDI-J85 will reduce the cost of the kit and can still be exported to the 35 countries using JDAM. In addition, the engine can generate 1.5 kilowatts of AC power, which is used to run JDAM onboard systems.
"The Powered JDAM is the next step in the modular evolution of the JDAM and JDAM Extended Range family of weapon systems," said Bob Ciesla, vice president of Precision Engagement Systems at Boeing. "The system's ability to complement sophisticated weapon systems (sic) with low-cost standoff capabilities will add new weapons capabilities to the U.S. defense industrial base to support current combat and deter future combat."