| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Tech |
| JDAMs With Very Long Legs |
| 2004-12-07 |
| December 7, 2004: The U.S. Air Force has ordered 288 AFM-158 JASSM missiles. These 2,300 pound weapons cost $389,000 each and are basically 1,000 pound JDAMS (GPS guided bombs) with a motor added. JASSM has a range of 350 kilometers and is designed to go after enemy air defense systems, or targets deep in heavily defended (against air attack) enemy territory. The air force and navy plan to buy over 5,000 JASSM, but there has been some opposition in the military and in Congress. The missiles are ten times as expensive as a JADM bomb of the same weight. But the aviators make the argument that many aircraft and pilots would be lost if the air defenses of a nation like, perhaps |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #22 Yeah, if it was an SRAM. But if it's a rocket with an plain old HE warhead, pinpoint is good.... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-12-07 9:10:29 PM |
| #21 mojo - Yeah, but the SRAM don't need a GPS, just needs to get within a mile or so. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-12-07 8:42:10 PM |
| #20 These 2,300 pound weapons cost $389,000 each The USAF - when you care enough to send the very best! |
| Posted by: Raj 2004-12-07 7:47:47 PM |
| #19 S300 batteries are toast. Each launcher costs $25m. Even if you drop 10 JASSM's on each launcher, you're looking at 4m in cost vs $25m in destructive effect. From Asia Times: For instance, last August Russia clinched a deal to export to Vietnam two S300 PMU1 air defense batteries (or 12 launchers) for a reported nearly $300 million. The S300 PMU is an advanced version of the SA-10C Grumble air defense missile. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-12-07 7:42:56 PM |
| #18 I was actually thinking a high altitude drop, but stand corrected on radar signature...How much length would a motor add? The JDAM kits are negligible, just GPS nose gear/brains and workable fins at the rear |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-07 6:37:26 PM |
| #17 Okay, let's talk delivery systems, here. I gather a B-52 can drop 51-500 pounders. Can it drop 11 of these (2300 pounders), or would it be more practical to use a C-130 or other enormous platform? And practically speaking, at 350km max strike zone, I would think that you would have to be at tremendous altitude, which could be a problem for lower-altitude designed aircraft. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-12-07 6:28:55 PM |
| #16 Sounds like somebody glued a GPS onto an old SRAM (Short Range Attack Missle). |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-12-07 6:16:56 PM |
| #15 Ed, These sound like they go faster and are less vulnerable to interception than Tomahawks. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2004-12-07 6:10:43 PM |
| #14 $400K is cheap compared to a $3 million Patriot missile. Tomahawks are around $550K (production cost) and wonder once JASSM R&D is figured in if it isn't just as cheap to buy Tomahawks. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-12-07 5:28:54 PM |
| #13 I expect they're like computers, the computer you want always costs $3,000, but it's way better than the last $3,000 computer you bought. In this case cruise missles always cost 1 MILLION DOLLARS! LOL. But digital maping is out, GPS is standard and loitering is around the corner. When they are not armed they also can crank out SETI@Home Workunits in less than 3 hours. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-07 5:25:56 PM |
| #12 no idea, bet they didn't drop in price .... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-07 5:05:47 PM |
| #11 Agreed. Do you know the cost of the next gen cruise missiles? I recall the last gen was $1million. Are they getting cheaper or more expensive? |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-07 5:02:49 PM |
| #10 much less than a jet and the pilot |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-07 5:00:39 PM |
| #9 At $400K per pop, I wouldn't call these cheap. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-07 4:48:36 PM |
| #8 Heh. "TERMINAL" seeker. Heh. |
| Posted by: Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-12-07 4:22:52 PM |
| #7 JASSMs also have a terminal seeker that the JDAM lacks. If you need 1 meter vs 10 meter accuracy... Yes radars can see bombs. The airplane guys hope that the SAM guys shoot expensive missiles at their cheap bombs. |
| Posted by: Peter V 2004-12-07 4:18:25 PM |
| #6 probably too small - like a cruise missile |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-12-07 4:12:15 PM |
| #5 Nice. Stand-off JDAM for 350km. Do JDAMs show up on Radar? |
| Posted by: Brett_the_Quarkian 2004-12-07 4:08:16 PM |
| #4 Don't need no stinkin stealth. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-07 3:57:08 PM |
| #3 Yes, and China has exactly 288 such AD sites. :-) |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-12-07 3:49:04 PM |
| #2 China is it. Only they have the air defenses that would make operations difficult. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2004-12-07 3:31:26 PM |
| #1 Naw, this looks like a definite nod to the N. Koreans. Well you could also make the argument that Iran may be on the list for receiving some of these. |
| Posted by: Jimbo19 2004-12-07 3:27:20 PM |