--- title: "Jet-Powered JDAM Tested From Navy Super Hornet" description: "F/A-18s have trialed the JDAM-LR, a powered evolution of the JDAM that offers a relatively cheap cruise missile-like standoff strike capability. U.S. Navy Super Hornets have trialed the JDAM-LR, a powered evolution of the JDAM that dramatically extends range and turns the JDAM into a versatile cruise missile-like standoff weapon." date: "2026-04-20" modified: "2026-04-20" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/jet-powered-jdam-tested-from-navy-super-hornet" categories: - "Air" - "Air Force Munitions" - "Air-To-Ground" - "F/A-18" - "F/A-18E/F" - "Fighters" - "Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)" - "Navies" - "Sea" - "U.S. Navy" tags: - "Sea Air Space 2026" --- # Jet-Powered JDAM Tested From Navy Super Hornet ![A Navy F/A-18 carries the new Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Long Range (LR) variant during a test event in early April off the coast of California (U.S. Navy photo/released)]() *Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraf* ## - **JDAM-LR extends strike capabilities.** The JDAM-LR, a powered version of the JDAM, offers a range of up to 300 nautical miles, significantly enhancing standoff strike capabilities for the Navy. - **Successful tests on Super Hornet.** The JDAM-LR was tested on F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, demonstrating safe separation, integration, and precise navigation over 200 nautical miles. - **Cost-effective alternative to high-end missiles.** JDAM-LR provides a cheaper option compared to missiles like the $1M AGM-158. - **Versatile and adaptable design.** The JDAM-LR can be adapted for various missions, including as a decoy, and can convert existing 500-pound bombs into anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles. - **Potential for widespread military use.** The JDAM-LR could be crucial in large-scale conflicts, offering a scalable solution for standoff munitions and export potential for allied forces. **Bottom line:** The JDAM-LR represents an advancement in more affordable standoff munitions, offering the U.S. Navy a versatile, cost-effective, and long-range strike option based on a highly proven family of precision weapons. The U.S. Navy has demonstrated a new, [powered derivative of the Joint Direct Attack Munition]() (JDAM) precision-guided weapon from its [Super Hornet]() fighter, signaling a major leap forward in potentially delivering a cost-effective and versatile standoff strike capability to the Carrier Air Wing. The weapon, now known as the JDAM Long Range, or JDAM-LR, can be used to attack targets on land or at sea, effectively being a small cruise missile, and one that offers significantly greater range than even the [unpowered JDAM Extended Range]() (JDAM-ER) series. https://twitter.com/NAVAIRNews/status/2046198087035560294?s=20 The trials in early April involved two test events at the Navy’s Point Mugu Sea Range, off the coast of California. During these, the weapon proved it could safely separate from a Super Hornet, integrate with existing interfaces, and execute a controlled, powered flight with precise navigation. In each demonstration, the weapons flew roughly 200 nautical miles before reaching their targets. Accuracy “within meters” was demonstrated, Boeing [said](). The JDAM-LRs were launched from F/A-18Es and F/A-18Fs assigned to the Navy’s [Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31]() (VX-31), the “Dust Devils,” a unit that has also made important contributions to the initial fielding of [the AIM-174B]() air-launched version of [the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6)]() as well as live-fire testing of [the secretive AIM-260A]() long-range air-to-air missile. ![A Navy F/A-18 carries the new Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Long Range (LR) variant during a test event in early April off the coast of California (U.S. Navy photo/released)]() *A Navy F/A-18F carries the new JDAM-LR variant during a test event in early April off the coast of California. *U.S. Navy photo/released** “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,” [said]() Capt. Sarah Abbott, Precision Strike Weapons (PMA-201) program manager. “This new capability allows pilots to engage targets from significantly safer distances, maintaining a tactical advantage in contested environments.” With these demonstrations successfully completed, the JDAM-LR team will now turn to the next phase of qualification, focusing on shipboard integration. We have reached out to Boeing and the Navy on procurement plans, but the assignment of the [GBU-75]() designation suggests that a Pentagon order has already been made or is otherwise anticipated. While by no means a [new concept](), Boeing originally announced that it was working on a powered derivative of JDAM back in mid-2024. At that point, it had already introduced the unpowered JDAM-ER, which mates the original weapon with a pop-out wing kit. The JDAM-LR uses the same wing kit as the JDAM-ER, but also adds a 200-pound-thrust-class [TDI-J85 turbine engine](). ![]() *A TDI-J85 engine installed on a ground test rig. *Boeing** Meanwhile, the main guidance package is derived from the GPS-assisted inertial navigation system found on typical JDAMs, and a standard low-drag 500-pound-class bomb is its warhead. In terms of range capability, a standard wingless JDAM can glide around 15 miles to its target, depending on the release altitude. With its pop-out wings, the JDAM-ER can hit targets up to 45 miles away. Boeing has said in the past that the JDAM-LR is expected to be able to reach targets at least 300 nautical miles away. Like existing JDAMs, the JDAM-ER leverages a standardized bomb shape for its warhead, giving the design immediate versatility. A wide range of 500-pound-class bombs and other munitions already share this form factor, including specialized variants, intended to [reduce the risk of collateral damage]() and [air-dropped shallow-water anti-ship mines](). ![]() *A photo from wind tunnel tests of the JDAM-LR, then still known as PJDAM. *Boeing** Boeing has said that any aircraft onto which the unpowered JDAM types have already been integrated should also be able to employ JDAM-LRs. However, full integration still requires testing to make sure the weapons can be safely released, hence the Super Hornet tests in April. For the Navy, the maritime strike variant of the JDAM-LR, with a seeker system added to the nose, is especially relevant. We have reached out to Boeing for specific details of this seeker, but it may be related to the dual-mode seeker system for JDAM that has been tested by the U.S. Air Force. This combines a radar and imaging infrared (IIR) camera, specifically for the anti-ship role. You can read more about that project, known as Quicksink, [here](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37qDHY9b6Lk&t Also in a maritime context, JDAM-LR can be combined with the Quickstrike family of naval mines, allowing aircraft to seed naval minefields. *TWZ* has [explained in depth in the past]() about the advantages of using JDAM-ERs with shallow-water naval mines as their warheads, and JDAM-LR allows the same effects to be provided at a significantly greater range. ![]() *A wind tunnel model depicting the maritime strike version of the JDAM-LR with its seeker nose. *Boeing** The JDAM-LR has also been pitched as a possible air-launched decoy. In this configuration, its warhead would be replaced with an additional fuel tank designed to extend its range out to at least 700 miles. The decoy version is still listed in the Boeing product catalog. Taken together, the JDAM-LR offers several notable advantages, beyond its long range. Chief among them is its built-in flexibility, allowing units in the field to rapidly adapt a standoff munition to the mission at hand, or even repurpose it as a decoy when needed. Another key advantage lies in the ability to readily convert existing stockpiles of standard 500-pound-class bombs into relatively low-cost cruise missiles. Boeing, however, has not yet revealed an estimated unit cost for the JDAM-LR kit. Each standard JDAM kit [has historically cost between]() $20,000 and $30,000. A typical 500-pound-class low-drag bomb adds another few thousand dollars to that total. The unit cost of the TDI-J85 engine is unknown, but the [Williams F107](), a larger turbojet also used in various cruise missiles, [has been priced at]() around $190,000 in the past. It's possible that price could drop significantly if production was increased dramatically. Any additional seeker system or other features would add to the cost of the JDAM-LR. Nevertheless, the result will likely compare very favorably with, for example, a single AGM-158A Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), one of the U.S. Air Force’s [go-to air-launched stand-off munitions](), which comes with [a price tag above $1 million](). ![An F-35 Lightning II test pilot conducts flight test Sept. 10 to certify the carrier variant of the fighter aircraft for carrying the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). As part of ongoing integration efforts, the Pax River F-35 Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF) team flew two days of test flights to evaluate flutter, loads, and flying qualities with two AGM-158 loaded on external stations. LRASM is a defined near-term solution for the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) air-launch capability gap that will provide flexible, long-range, advanced, anti-surface capability against high-threat maritime targets. The Pax River ITF’s mission is to effectively plan, coordinate, and conduct safe, secure, and efficient flight test for F-35B and C variants, and provide necessary and timely data to support program verification / certification and fleet operational requirements.]() *An F-35C carrying two examples of the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), a maritime version of the JASSM. *U.S. Navy* U.S. Navy/Dane Wiedmann* On the other hand, the JDAM-LR still has a shorter range than many purpose-designed cruise missile types, such as the AGM-158 and its extended-range versions. Furthermore, the powered version of the JDAM is not stealthy, unlike the members of the AGM-158 family, among others. Any future high-end conflict involving the U.S. military, and particularly a potential confrontation with China across [the vast expanses of the Pacific](), will likely involve the need to strike thousands of targets on both land and sea. Given the depth and sophistication of enemy [air]() and [maritime]() defenses, large quantities of standoff munitions would be essential to effectively engage many of those threats. ![]() *Boeing concept artwork showing the JDAM-LR in flight. *Boeing** This creates significant pressure to sustain a continuous, timely, and cost-effective supply of such weapons at scale. In that context, a system like JDAM-LR could prove highly valuable by more rapidly expanding the overall inventory of available standoff munitions. Doing so would also help conserve higher-end systems like the AGM-158 and other cruise missiles for targets requiring greater range or survivability. Meanwhile, decoy-configured JDAM-LRs could further enhance effectiveness by [confusing and misdirecting defending forces](), improving the chances of other standoff weapons reaching their intended targets. Commanders across the U.S. military recognize the need for lower-cost standoff munitions that still offer meaningful range. The Air Force, for example, has developed two new [Extended Range Attack Munitions]() (ERAM) under a crash program. While the effort is first expected to provide Ukraine with a [relatively low-cost standoff strike capability](), it also reflects the Pentagon’s focus on rapidly developing and bringing into operational service [new, less-expensive weapons]() that can be built at scale. ![]() *A U.S. Air Force F-16 takes off from Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, carrying a Family of Affordable Mass Munition — Lugged weapon, also known as Rusty Dagger, as part of a rapid test series conducted by the 96th Test Wing and 53rd Wing. *U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas M. Barley** Ukraine’s [combat experience with the JDAM-ER](), in particular, also highlights the export potential of the JDAM-LR. As well as commonality with other members of the JDAM family, the JDAM-LR could provide foreign air forces with a cheaper and less complex precision air-launched standoff capability than weapons like the AGM-158, for example. These more exquisite weapons might, anyway, be out of reach due to operational security or escalatory concerns. Altogether, the latest milestone for the JDAM-LR underscores the continued interest in lower-cost cruise missiles, especially those that offer flexibility for use against land-based and maritime targets. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what the Navy’s procurement plans for the weapon look like. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()