Australia has handed over JDAM-ER (Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended-Range) glider bombs to Ukraine after they were retired from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Australian Defense reports.
“The Department of Defense’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Plan, released on October 30, states that Australia will retire its 500-pound Australian-made Mk.82 JDAM-ER munitions in 2021, in conjunction with the retirement of the F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet fleet. The ADM can now confirm that at least some of these weapons were later transferred to Ukraine as part of Australia’s support to the warring nation. However, it is unclear when the ammunition was transferred to Ukraine,” the newspaper notes.
The first known use of the JDAM-ER in Ukraine was by the Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 in March 2023, but this weapon was supplied by the United States. Only in April 2024 did Australia confirm that it had supplied unspecified air-to-ground munitions to Ukraine.
In July 2024, the Ministry of Defense announced further transfers of unspecified air-to-ground weapons as part of a $250 million package.
The JDAM-ER kit was developed by the Defense Science and Technology Group (DSTG) in the early 2000s in cooperation with Boeing and Ferra Engineering. Ferra Engineering currently manufactures the kit under an agreement with Boeing that expires in 2028.
