Overview
- The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $75 million undefinitized contract action on Wednesday to buy the BSU-111/B payload delivery unit and allow the company to begin initial production for the Navy.
- The weapon, designated GBU-75 or JDAM LR, pairs a folding-wing kit with a compact turbojet and the existing JDAM GPS/INS guidance to reach more than 300 nautical miles with a roughly 500-pound payload.
- Boeing funded nearly $100 million of development before the award and said the move to production follows flight tests off the California coast that showed sustained powered flight and military-code GPS guidance to target.
- Because the design reuses standard JDAM guidance and aircraft interfaces, Boeing says the BSU-111/B can be integrated onto platforms already cleared for JDAMs and produced at higher volumes and lower cost than many cruise missiles.
- The UCA lets work start before final contract terms are set so quantities and schedule could change, and the program aligns with U.S. efforts to expand munitions capacity and strengthen the defense industrial base.