Singapore - Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions
on ASDNews: Nov 17, 2009
http://www.asdnews.com/news/24531/Singapor...k_Munitions.htm

(Washington, November 16, 2009) -- The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress today of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Singapore of a variety of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) Guidance Kits and Precision Laser Guidance kits including associated parts, equipment, training and logistical support for a complete package worth approximately $40 million.

The Government of Singapore has requested a possible sale of 670 KMU-572B/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) Guidance Kits, 670 DSU-38/B Precision Laser Guidance kits for GBU-54(V)1/B (MK-82)670 KMU-572B/B Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) Guidance Kits for GBU-28B(V)1/B (MK-82), 670 DSU-38/B Precision Laser Guidance Kits for GBU-54(V)1/B, support equipment, repair and return, tools and test equipment, spare and repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics personnel services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated cost is $40 million.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an important force for economic progress in Southeast Asia.

Singapore needs the JDAM kits to help meet current and future threats of enemy air-to-ground weapons. Singapore will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. Singapore, which already has JDAM guidance kits in its inventory, will have no difficulty absorbing these additional enhanced kits.

The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
Source : US Defense Security Cooperation Agency

we got GBU-28?

First they made computer calculated delivery of unguided bombs at high altitude.

Then they made laser-guided bombs to be dropped from medium-high altitude.

Then they made GPS guided bombs that can be dropped from high altitude and thick cumulus cloud deck below.

Finally LJDAM that can dropped high with thick clouds and some guy below lasing the bomb into a moving target.

Whatever happened to the good old fashion nap of the earth flying by the seat of your pants, popping up and pumping flares while dodging Ack-acks while visually acquiring your target, slicing back down in full military power, screaming in at high subsonic airspeeds, pitching back and pickling a full string of mk-82s down while popping flares followed by a hard 8g slice back down to duck under all the incoming tracer fires and manpads, declaring and emergency on inbound and counting the number of bullet holes as soon as you get out of the pit, and heading over the bar for a dozen ice cold beers with a hell of a story to tell to everyone.

No... all this so that fighter jocks can go the bar, get a somewhat cold non-alcoholic soft drink, tell his friends about some turbulence he had at 30-something thousand feet, dropped a smart bomb that he didn't know where it was going or much less know what it was hitting, and come back to land and complain that that canopy's dirty.

aww, c'mon, don't be so harsh, the pilot of today can be expected to visit the bar a lot more often than pilots of before B)

you all entirely missed the point, which is even after visiting the bar, the pilots can still get up to 30,000 ft with a dirty canopy, and drop a bomb that will hit the target, nevermind whether the pilot knows what and where the target is, since he's drunk anyway. and mind you it is unfair to expect the guy to pull 8G with all the beer and piss inside of him.

Touche! :D :D :D

Typo. Should be GBU-38(v)1/B (mk-82) and not -28. No -28 designation for Mk-82s. Looks like 4x 670 rather than just 670 guidance kits.

Will wait for the actual notification (which is in different format) in federal register for re-confirmation.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Looks like we now know who one of the 2 customers for LJDAM are. Delivery 2010.

http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=871

Looks like LJDAM needs dual guidance so actual number should not be 4x670. Also rationalised to cost (cannot be avg cost $15k when USAF gets theirs at $25k.) So likely still 670 to 1,340 units (likely latter, imho 1/2 std JDAM, 1/2 LJDAM). Comes up to avg cost $29.5k.

What I like about this is the shift from 2k lb F-16 delivered heavies towards lighter 500lb munitions that can whack more targets precisely (and far more carried per sortie eg 12+ for each F-15).

For such a small country like us, we sure buy many rounds...

The whole point is to do it without the pilots ;)

*cough* *cough* because we have big neighbours :ph43r:

don't let the RSM hear you. who's going to pay the mess contribution if there're no pilots? <_<

still got pilots la, they will "fly" from the arcade machine in the ground station. they'll take a pay cut, no more flight pay...

Oh man, I can see it now... A whole new genre of unmanned 'fighter pilot' brags...

"The triple-A was so thick, the refresh rate went down to 2 frames per second!"

"There was no way to salvage the aircraft, I had to hit the Alt-F4 key."

"I pulled back on the analog stick so hard that the force feedback stopped working and the monitor read 18g's"

"I would have shot all of them down if not for the stupid BSOD!"

If the Lebanese can do it, so can we!

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/11/vi...mes-diy-bomber/

still typo on the 28?

http://www.dsca.mil/PressReleases/36-b/200...apore_09-56.pdf

Actually i have seen footage on youtube showing the Mi-24 Hind dropping bombs. Can't seem to find it though

Link is to the dsca reporting. There is a separate publication in the federal register. Haven't been updated electronically yet. Should be ~2 weeks after the dsca notice.

Yup, updated this morning. Not sure if one can access it directly from the link below but there's a bit more description.

http://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/P...action=retrieve

The typo is repeated in the policy justification but the actual quantity description indicates its just 670 KMU-572B/B (for GBU-38) and 670 DSU-38/Bs for GBU-54s worth $33m MDE and another $7m for miscellaneous items.

DSU-38 description also highlights capability against mobile targets travelling up to 70 mph (110 kph lebuhraya speed limit).

Just some indicative speeds. Astros max 90kph. Pinzgauer trucks max 100kph. Adnan IFVs max 70kph. PT-91M max 60kph.

Interesting is the reference to another $5m purchase in Feb 09 :)

Would like to highlight the potential anti-ship capability for LJDAM as well. At ranges of 24km (compared to 14km for the GBU-10/12s), that exceeds MR-SAM defensive capability in many navies around the region (excepting those with HQ-9s/Standards).

Add the moving target capability (ships don't go faster than 110kph). Add lasing, that makes it incredibly accurate.

Add payload where 500lb bombs have already proven the ability to sink ships during the Falklands (bigger warhead than harpoons).

Add multiple JDAM drop capability (swarming technique) to overwhelm ship defenses if any.

Add future upgrades (if not already in inventory :) ): Wing kits to extend range to 70+km (JDAM-ER).

That's a massive boost to the RSAF anti-ship capability as well.

Yeah, its indeed possible to use LJDAMs to hit moving target in the sea once you are able to acquire them on the targeting pod and successful in lasing the target. However, you don't really need to use LJDAMs in particular, just regular laser guided bombs will be sufficient.

The additional GPS/INS capability would not add much towards the targeting precision of the bombs against moving ships or frigates. With regular LGBs, the radar can acquire the ships in its maritime search mode, lock or slew the targeting pod seeker to the ship, and use the targeting pod imagery to identify and engage the ship.

I'm not sure where the 24km range is being pulled out from, but that far exceeds the numbers I'm accustomed to for unguided paveway munitions. The usual that I see is about 8 - 12 miles; which is still under the 24km that you are talking about. I'm imagining that would be a supersonic delivery at high altitudes in order to reach that kinda numbers.

JDAMs have longer range compared to paveways.

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/missil...am_overview.pdf

"JDAM can be launched from more than 15 miles from the target with updates from GPS satellites to help guide the weapon to the target."

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/missil...am_overview.pdf

Also read the jdam tactical manual (figure 3.2 on chap 3-4) for the GBU-31/32. Standard release speed (M0.8 to M1) at level flight achieves ranges of 6nm (10k ft) to 12nm (30k ft). 12nm = 22km.

As medium altitude is defined as 10-30k ft, the range can be achieved at medium altitude, sub-sonic delivery.

http://wikileaks.org/leak/jdam-manual.pdf

Probably further for the lighter GBU-38...

Our definition of medium altitude differ. Medium lies within 10k ft to 25k ft. But that doesn't matter.

Purely for discussion's sake

I'm guessing that the JDAM achieves significantly greater range when released high simply because there is lower drag above 30k ft which will give it extra legs when released. Another important feature is that JDAM kits that use GPS INS guidance may have more efficient fin-steering to get it to hit a static target. The more the fins move, the more drag incurs, the lower the range becomes.

Against moving targets or maritime targets, the same problem with Paveway munitions occur. The fins have to constantly adjust to get the bomb into collision trajectory with the target. The older models of the paveway series suffered from worse version of the problems where the fins only fully deflect to correct its course until it has "over-corrected" before steering it back in the other directions.

Which means, whenever the LJDAM has to be supported with a laser with a moving target, it might suffer from a slight decrease in range. I suspect that the GPS/INS provides mid-course guidance until a specified range before switching over to its laser seekers. Which means, it can follow an energy efficient trajectory up to a certain distance, before switching over to a laser seeker where it tries to intercept its target more precisely.

I agree. Even at shorter ranges, the threat of manpads diminishes above 15k ft altitude. To hit a/c above 15k ft requires MR-SAMs which are generally detectable and can be tackled early. The altitude imho is more impt than the range.

It puts cost pressures on stand-off ground attack missiles such as hellfire/spike/JAGM/mavericks. $30-50k per smart weapon at 10-20km range is cost-effective.

I think you are spot on.

Also would like to clarify that Mk 82s (192lbs) do not have bigger warheads than harpoons (488lbs) but nevertheless, effectiveness in sinking ships is still combat proven in the falklands.

Heh! The only problem being to get in range to hammer the ship with Mk-82s while avoiding SHORADs. Accuracy is secondary to getting bombs off since it limits the aircraft's ability to manuever away and escape. Chances are, pilots would have tossed an entire string of mk-82s in order to haul ass quickly.

Even with LJDAMs, i'd prefer to leave the lasing to some UAV. Loft the bombs at M1+ at 30k ft and let the unmanned stuff do the rest of the work.

Good point. With laser coding, one can also designate multiple targets and deliver multiple LGBs to differing target even with single a/c.

Am waiting to see if and which MPA uav will be selected by rsaf. Was reading about the heron comes with the dual mode EL/2022U radar which can scan both sea and air targets with ISAR/SAR + GMTI + IFF interrogator. Then also have a AIS detector at long range.

With uav target designation, one can employ stand-off wing kits (JDAM-ERs) to full effect...just a matter of time.

A logical next-step, if not already done so... Enhanced F-16 TER-9 rack.

http://www.terma.com/index.dsp?page=988

This will increase GBU-38 JDAM load-out from 2 to 6 for each F-16.

Terma has a subsidiary in SG and has supplied scanter radars for use with MPA and the new LPD for Thailand...

Interesting.. Thanks for the link.. ;)

Cyberpioneer TV's shepherd of the skies (4 min 2 sec) show side and top view footage of rsaf F-16D carrying 4 GBU-12s on ejector racks...

http://www.youtube.com/cyberpioneertv#p/u/36/_CFOSlNfZwU

Has nice footage of the F-16 carrying single jdam as well. Apparently the ESTER config will enable both the GBU-38 and SDB as well...