---
title: "MiG-29 Fulcrums Are Ukraine’s JDAM-ER Bomb Trucks"
description: "Already the primary staple of Ukrainian airpower, the country's MiG-29s have yet another role in Kyiv’s defense: precision standoff strike."
date: "2023-07-08"
modified: "2023-07-08"
authors:
  - name: "Stetson Payne"
    link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/stetson-payne"
url: "https://www.twz.com/mig-29-fulcrums-are-ukraines-jdam-er-bomb-trucks"
categories:
  - "Air"
  - "Air Force Munitions"
  - "Air Forces"
  - "Air-To-Ground"
  - "Around The Globe"
  - "Europe"
  - "Fighters"
  - "Fulcrums"
  - "Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)"
  - "MiG-29"
  - "News & Features"
  - "Russia"
  - "Ukrainian Air Force"
tags:
  - "Ukraine"
---

# MiG-29 Fulcrums Are Ukraine’s JDAM-ER Bomb Trucks

![](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/08/MiG-29-JDAM.png>)
*Ukrainian Air Force A Ukrainian MiG-29 carrying a JDAM-ER glide bomb. This one carries a slogan commemorating Ukraine Armed Forces commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s birthday. \<em\>Ukrainian Air Force\</em\>*

Already the primary staple of Ukrainian airpower, the country's MiG-29s have yet another role in Kyiv’s defense: precision standoff strike.

*The War Zone* can now confirm that some of Ukraine’s MiG-29 fleet has been modified to carry winged [JDAM-ER](<https://www.twz.com/ukraine-confirms-jdam-precision-bombs-are-now-being-used-in-combat>) GPS-guided glide bombs. A photo shows the winged smart bombs onboard Fulcrums on the ground, one commemorating Ukraine Armed Forces [Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s](<https://www.twz.com/ukraine-situation-report-u-s-warming-to-sending-atacms>) birthday.

https://twitter.com/KpsZSU/status/1677622805741879296

The message reads "*Happy anniversary, Valerii Fedorovych! The best gift is dead Russians!*" In late June, we first wrote about this possibility when a MiG-29 appeared bearing [peculiar inboard weapons pylon](<https://www.twz.com/ukrainian-mig-29-fighter-appears-with-mystery-weapon-pylons>)s.

However, the first airstrikes using the winged bombs reportedly [began in early March](<https://www.twz.com/winged-jdam-smart-bombs-are-now-operational-in-ukraine>). The above photos appear to show JDAMs attached on these inboard pylons. You can see the tapered triangular protrusions forward of the bomb's mounting point.

![MIG-29 UKRAINE PYLON](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/20/MIG-29-UKRAINE-PYLON.jpg>)
**Ukrainian Air Force/via Twitter**

The exact function of the forward protrusions of these unique pylons are unclear. But you can read about the[ possibilities in our previous report](<https://www.twz.com/ukrainian-mig-29-fighter-appears-with-mystery-weapon-pylons>). Some [Ukrainian MiG-29s](<https://www.twz.com/ukraines-mig-29s-shown-firing-firing-u-s-agm-88-missiles-in-stunning-cockpit-video>) and [Su-27 Flankers](<https://www.twz.com/ukraines-su-27s-appear-to-be-wielding-anti-radiation-missiles-now-too>) were [modified to carry AGM-88 HARM](<https://www.twz.com/arming-ukrainian-fighters-with-aim-120-missiles-is-a-complex-proposition>) anti-radiaiton missiles last year, with both types flying frequent sorties in the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) role.

![](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/20/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-29_9-13_Ukraine_-_Air_Force_AN1407459.jpg>)
*An example of a pre-war Ukrainian MiG-29 with a light gray radome and with inert R-27R missiles on the inner underwing pylons. *Oleg V. Belyakov/Wikimedia Commons**

[Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)](<https://www.twz.com/what-jdam-smart-bombs-could-do-for-ukraine>) is not a bomb itself but a kit applied to an otherwise “dumb” conventional bomb of the U.S.-made Mark 80 series. The bombs use inertial and GPS guidance to hit their static targets, becoming true fire-and-forget weapons.

JDAM-ER gives these bombs not only precision guidance but also wings, making an otherwise dumb bomb a [standoff weapon](<https://www.twz.com/wing-kits-for-ukraines-jdam-bombs-would-be-a-big-problem-for-russia>) with a range of dozens of miles. You can read our full report on the unique capabilities JDAM and JDAM-ER provides Ukraine[ in this past feature.](<https://www.twz.com/wing-kits-for-ukraines-jdam-bombs-would-be-a-big-problem-for-russia>)

![](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/07/jdam-bombs.jpg>)
*A graphic showing the various tiers of standard JDAM bombs (from left to right, two 2,000-pound-class variants, a 1,000-pound example, and a 500-pound class type), as well as a close-up of one of the tail guidance sections at top right. *USAF**

![JDAM-ER bomb](<https://www.twz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/31/JDAM-ER-bomb-CREDIT-Royal-Australian-Air-Force-270223.jpg>)
*A JDAM-ER in flight after bomb release. *Royal Australian Air Force* Royal Australian Air Force*

However, the JDAM-ER should not be confused or put in the same standoff category as Ukraine’s [Storm Shadow cruise missiles](<https://www.twz.com/crashed-storm-shadow-missile-falls-into-russian-hands>) launched from [Su-24 Fencers](<https://www.twz.com/ukraine-situation-report-su-24-spotted-carrying-two-storm-shadows>). Unlike the Storm Shadow with its onboard turbojet engine, JDAM-ER lacks any propulsion of its own, limiting its range to how far it can glide on its wings.

The latest addition to Ukrainian MiG-29s’ growing Western armaments is indeed further evidence that even if Kyiv must wait longer for Western [fourth-generation fighters of its own](<https://www.twz.com/romania-could-host-f-16-training-for-ukraine>), Ukraine, with the help of its Western supporters, isn’t wasting any time making existing airframes more lethal.

*Contact the author:* [*stetson.payne@thewarzone.com*](<mailto:stetson.payne@thewarzone.com>)

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