The United States Air Force has committed $75 million for the initial production of a jet powered guided bomb capable of flying more than 300 nautical miles, Boeing announced Wednesday.
The award moves the ambitious weapon from testing toward operational inventory.
Boeing’s BSU 111 B Payload Delivery Unit combines deployable wings with a turbojet engine to transform a 500 pound Joint Direct Attack Munition into a much longer range strike weapon.
The resulting GBU 75 offers the reach of a cruise missile while building upon the proven JDAM family.
The company has invested nearly $100 million of its own money in the program, signaling substantial confidence in both the technology and expected military demand.
That private investment also helped move development forward before the government committed to the first production batch.
“Scaling production of the GBU-75 will provide the fleet with an affordable, sustainable solution designed to eliminate long-range land and sea-based threats to U.S. and international forces,” said Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems.
The BSU 111 B represents the latest major improvement to a weapon family that has steadily gained range and flexibility.
Early JDAM tail kits allowed conventional gravity bombs to steer toward targets roughly 15 nautical miles away.
A later wing kit extended that reach to about 40 nautical miles. Now, a Kratos designed TDI J85 turbojet engine pushes the weapon beyond 300 nautical miles, placing a dramatically larger target area within striking distance.
That range matters because modern enemy air defenses make close approaches increasingly dangerous for American aircraft and crews.
A bomb that can travel hundreds of miles gives pilots more room to attack while staying farther from hostile missiles, radar systems, and fighter patrols.
The GBU 75 is not limited to conventional land targets. Boeing is also developing the QuickStrike Long Range mining variant, which combines the propulsion package with a bomb equipped with a sensor designed to detect and track ships.
Boeing has released concepts showing large numbers of these weapons loaded aboard Air Force bombers.
The Air Force has not announced a purchase for that particular configuration, but the concept points toward massed, lower cost strike options against land and maritime threats.
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Hill Air Force Base in Utah purchases JDAM weapons for both the Air Force and the United States Navy. The first production GBU 75 weapons are slated to go to the Navy.
Navy Super Hornets demonstrated the weapon over the Point Mugu Sea Range off California in April.
During the April 1 test, the weapon separated cleanly, started its engine, remained airborne for 34 minutes, and landed within meters of its intended target.
A second test on April 3 added altitude changes and maneuvering to further challenge the system.
Each weapon traveled roughly 200 nautical miles, demonstrating meaningful range while also validating controlled flight under more demanding conditions.
“As Naval Air Forces in theater continue to rely heavily on JDAM systems, the program recognizes a critical need to provide the fleet with greater standoff range,” Navy Precision Strike Weapons program manager Capt. Sarah Abbott said.
“This new capability allows pilots to engage targets from significantly safer distances, maintaining a tactical advantage in contested environments.”
One major advantage is that the military does not need to create an entirely new weapons ecosystem.
Navy budget documents describe JDAM LR as a modification of the baseline program using existing production lines, guidance equipment, and support infrastructure.
According to Boeing, any aircraft already capable of dropping a conventional JDAM can carry the new version without modification. That compatibility could reduce integration headaches, training demands, and additional costs that frequently bog down new weapons programs in bureaucratic quicksand.
The award had not appeared in the Pentagon’s daily contract announcements as of Aug. 5. It is an undefinitized action, which means Boeing began work before the government and company finished negotiating the final price.
The Government Accountability Office has repeatedly warned that such arrangements can carry financial risk because contractors receive reimbursement for allowable costs. Boeing did not disclose how many weapons the $75 million will purchase, the cost of each GBU 75, or when deliveries will begin.
Even with those unanswered contracting questions, the operational logic is clear. The GBU 75 could give American naval aviation a powerful new way to strike distant land and maritime threats without forcing pilots to fly straight into the enemy’s engagement zone.
