US Approves $5B Saudi JDAM-ER Weapons Sale

The US Department of State has approved a potential sale of Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) guidance kits, bombs, and related equipment to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $5 billion.

Riyadh has requested 5,004 KMU-572 JDAM guidance kits, 5,000 KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits, 5,004 BLU-111 500-pound (227-kilogram) general-purpose bombs, and 5,000 BLU-117 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) general-purpose bombs.

The JDAM is a tail-mounted guidance kit that converts conventional unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons. The JDAM-ER adds a bolt-on wing kit that extends the weapon’s range, while retaining GPS-aided inertial guidance. A standard JDAM has a range of up to 17 miles (28 kilometers), compared with about 45 miles (72 kilometers) for the JDAM-ER.

“The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s airborne defense capability to counter current and future regional threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and improve interoperability with systems operated by US forces and other Gulf Region partners,” the US Department of State stated.

Boeing of Arlington, Virginia, will be the principal contractor. No offset agreement has been proposed in connection with the potential sale at this time.

The US State Department also approved a possible sale of AGT-1500 tank engines to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $750 million. Honeywell is the principal contractor.

Saudi Arabia has requested 60 AGT-1500 tank engines.

Source: Defence Post