The GBU-31 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) is the Mark 84 unguided free-fall bomb with the conversion kit that turns it into an accurate smart weapon. In other words, this version of the JDAM uses the 2,000-pound (900-kg) olive-drab Mk 84 warhead. The Mk 84 is also known as the BLU-117. It is dropped from the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-16 Falcon, F-22 Raptor, Saab JAS 39 Gripen, and the B-2 Spirit aircraft. Designed and developed by McDonnell Douglas, it is in service since 1999 and it has been used in anger in the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia, in the 2003 Iraq War, the Afghan War, and in the Syrian Civil War.
The GBU-31 JDAM had first been delivered in 1997, as two operational tests would be carried out; in 1998 and 1999. The latter year, it would be employed to bomb Yugoslavia, being dropped from a Northrop B-2 Spirit bomber. During this armed conflict, more than 600 GBU-31 JDAMs were used. Compared to the cruise missiles, such as the AGM-158 JASSM, this smart munition is quite inexpensive as it is assembled using the large number of Mark 84 bombs in store. Once dropped, it is guided by inertial guidance system and GPS.
Specifications
Type: smart bomb
Total Weight: 925 kg (2,039-lb)
Warhead: 429 kg (946-lb) - High Explosive.
Length: 3.84 m (12 feet, 7 inches)
Diameter: 46 cm (18 inches)
Tail Span: 64 cm (2 feet, 1 inch)
Guidance: inertial - GPS
Launching Platform: military aircraft
Three JDAMs dropped on Taliban positions in Afghanistan in 2006 (footage)
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