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Boeing wins $75 million Air Force contract to start production of long-range JDAM weapon kit
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Business/The Apex Times/Aug 5, 2:29 PM EDT

Boeing wins $75 million Air Force contract to start production of long-range JDAM weapon kit

The Air Force awarded Boeing an undefinitized contract action for the BSU-111/B payload delivery unit used in the GBU-75 Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range, moving the program into initial production after a first flight test.

3 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Boeing said the U.S. Air Force has cleared it to begin initial production of key components for a long-range version of its JDAM precision-guided bomb family, awarding the defense unit a $75 million undefinitized contract action for a payload delivery unit that supports the weapon’s long-range capability.

The award, announced by Boeing on August 5, 2026, covers the BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit (PDU) Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range (JDAM LR). Boeing did not specify delivery quantities in the announcement, but said the undefinitized contract action is part of the process of moving from development to production planning.

Boeing described JDAM LR as a precision-guided munition built around the JDAM guidance tail kit and aircraft interface, combined with a wing kit and a compact turbojet engine. In Boeing’s description, the system is designed to travel more than 300 nautical miles and carry a 500-pound class (226-kilogram) payload, enabling long-range conventional land strike, naval strike, and maritime aerial-mining missions.

The contract award follows Boeing’s own prior investment in the program. Boeing said the U.S. Air Force action comes after nearly $100 million of internal investment and “clears” the program for initial production of PDUs for the U.S. Navy.

In remarks included with the announcement, Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems, called the first production contract a milestone and said scaling production of the GBU-75 would provide the fleet an “affordable, sustainable” long-range precision-strike option. The company tied the move to helping address “long-range land and sea-based threats,” and to giving operators an option for striking targets beyond the effective range of enemy defenses.

Boeing said the JDAM LR recently completed its first flight test off the coast of California. According to the company, the test met objectives for sustaining powered flight on a predefined profile and using military-code GPS navigation, while maintaining guidance directly to its target.

The GBU-75 is the JDAM LR weapon name referenced by Boeing in its comments, while the BSU-111/B is the PDU component being procured under the Air Force’s action. A payload delivery unit is the section of a guided weapon that packages the payload and interfaces it with propulsion and other mission-specific elements, and in this case is intended to be the hardware that enables long-range flight when paired with the guidance and interface pieces of the broader JDAM family.

From a business standpoint, the contract underscores how Boeing is trying to expand the JDAM ecosystem beyond basic guidance upgrades. By describing JDAM LR as leveraging “existing JDAM infrastructure” and using a design intended for high-volume production and rapid integration across any aircraft capable of carrying conventional JDAM, Boeing is effectively framing the program as an incremental step built on familiar supply chains and interfaces rather than a wholly new munition platform.

The company did not provide additional program details in the announcement, including the expected total contract value after undefinitized terms are finalized, the number of PDUs to be produced under the initial action, or the production timeline milestones that would follow the Air Force award.

For the next phase, investors and defense watchers will likely focus on how the undefinitized portion evolves into fully defined terms, how quickly Boeing scales PDU output, and whether subsequent test results and integration milestones support broader adoption across Air Force and Navy platforms.

Why It Matters

  • An initial production step can indicate that JDAM LR is moving from flight-test progress toward measurable supply delivery, which is often a gating factor for broader military procurement.
  • Boeing’s approach of leveraging existing JDAM guidance infrastructure suggests an emphasis on scalability and faster integration with aircraft already cleared to carry conventional JDAM weapons.
  • The award highlights continued demand for longer-range precision strike options designed to reach targets beyond the effective range of adversary defenses.
  • Commercially, a production start can improve visibility into future revenue streams for defense programs, though the announcement did not disclose follow-on contract values.

Sources

Key Facts

  • The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $75 million undefinitized contract action for BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit (PDU) components used in JDAM Long Range.
  • Boeing said JDAM LR is designed to fly over 300 nautical miles carrying a 500-pound class (226-kilogram) payload.
  • The system combines a JDAM guidance tail kit and aircraft interface with a wing kit and a compact turbojet engine for long-range capability.
  • Boeing said the contract clears the program for initial production of PDUs for the U.S. Navy and follows nearly $100 million of Boeing internal investment.
  • Boeing reported a first flight test off the coast of California that met objectives for sustained powered flight using military-code GPS navigation and maintaining guidance to the target.
  • Boeing characterized the GBU-75 JDAM LR as an affordable, mass-producible option intended to support precision strikes in contested environments.

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Boeing wins $75 million Air Force contract to start production of long-range JDAM weapon kit | The Apex Times