Boeing to produce more JDAM tail kits for US Air Force

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 23, 2012. The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] received a $126 million contract from the U.S. Air Force on Nov. 30 for approximately 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits. Deliveries will begin in June 2013 and continue through May 2014.

This is Boeing's third major U.S. Air Force contract within a year for conventional JDAM kits. Boeing received an $88 million contract for nearly 3,500 kits in January 2011 and a $92 million contract for an additional 4,000 kits in March.

Boeing delivered the first production laser sensor kits to the U.S. Air Force in May 2008 and to the U.S. Navy in October 2008. Laser JDAM was employed by the Air Force in combat in Iraq in August 2008.

In February 2010, the Navy selected Laser JDAM to satisfy its direct-attack moving target capability (DAMTC) mission requirement. Naval Air Systems Command awarded an $8 million contract to Boeing in March 2011 for low-rate initial production of 700 laser sensor kits for the DAMTC program.

JDAM is a guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into near precision-guided weapons. Boeing intentionally designed its JDAM kit to be modular, allowing for the product to mature with a variety of technological upgrades such as wing kits that increase its range, improved immunity to GPS jamming and an all-weather radar sensor.

Since starting JDAM production in 1998, Boeing has built more than 230,000 JDAM tail kits in its St. Charles, Mo., facility for use by 26 international militaries.