항공무장 미군, JDAL LR 생산승인

[위종민]

미공군이 터보제트 엔진을 장착해 사정거리를 340마일 이상으로 늘 JDAM LR 생산을 승인했습니다. MQ-9A에도 장착 가능하다고 하네요. 멀리서 쏘는 건 좋은데 멀리서 표적을 보기는 어려울 테니 헌터-킬러 분리해서 운용하려나요. 

미 공군, 장거리 JDAM 생산 승인

제조사 보잉에 따르면 JDAM LR의 첫 번째 키트는 미 해군에 공급될 예정이다.

마이클 매로우
2026년 8월 6일 오전 11시 45분

미 해군 F/A-18이 4월 초 캘리포니아 해안에서 실시된 시험에서 신형 합동직격탄(JDAM) 장거리(LR)형을 탑재하고 있다. (미 해군 사진)

워싱턴 — 미 공군이 터보제트 추진기를 장착한 합동직격탄(JDAM)의 생산을 승인하면서, 미군 항공기에 새로운 장거리 타격 선택지가 제공되게 됐다고 제조사 보잉이 밝혔다.

보잉은 수요일 보도자료에서 생산 계약이 7,500만 달러 규모의 미확정 계약으로 체결됐으며, 이를 통해 해군이 JDAM 장거리형으로 불리는 정밀유도무기의 첫 번째 키트를 공급받을 수 있게 됐다고 밝혔다. JDAM은 20여 년 전에 처음 실전에 투입됐으며, 미 공군과 해군이 공동으로 운용하는 프로그램이다. 이 체계는 부착식 키트를 이용해 값싼 비유도 폭탄을 정밀유도무기로 전환하지만, 기존형의 사거리는 약 12마일 정도로 제한됐다.

보도자료는 초기 계약으로 몇 개의 JDAM LR 키트가 주문되는지는 공개하지 않았다. 보잉에 따르면 이번 계약은 BSU-111/B 페이로드 딜리버리 유닛이라 불리는 장비를 주문하는 것으로, 사실상 일반 폭탄에 장착하면 신형 JDAM LR을 만드는 완성형 키트다.

보잉에 따르면 엔진을 장착한 JDAM은 500파운드급 탑재중량을 기준으로 사거리를 340마일 이상으로 크게 늘린다. 이미 실전 배치된 JDAM의 “사거리 연장형”은 활공폭탄 방식으로 작동하지만, 회사 자료에 따르면 사거리는 45마일 이상에 그친다.

보잉 정밀교전시스템 부문 부사장 밥 시슬라는 회사 발표문에서 “이번 첫 생산계약은 JDAM LR 프로그램의 중요한 이정표이며, 훨씬 낮은 비용으로 장거리 정밀타격 능력을 제공할 수 있음을 입증한다”고 말했다. 보잉은 이 무기 개발에 자체적으로 약 1억 달러를 투자했으며, “기존 JDAM 인프라를 활용”하면 생산을 빠르게 확대하는 데 도움이 될 수 있다고 덧붙였다.

미 해군은 지난 4월 JDAM 키트의 장거리 개조형을 공개했다. 두 차례의 비행시험에서 이 무기는 “약 200해리” 거리에서 “표적까지 일관된 유도 성능을 유지했다”고 당시 해군은 밝혔다. 보잉은 4월 보도자료에서 첫 번째 발사체가 “계획된 표적 수 미터 이내에 명중했다”고 밝혔으며, 두 번째 발사체는 “유사한 비행 중 고도 변화와 무기 기동을 성공적으로 수행했다”고 설명했다.

이 무기의 생산 승인은 미 국방부가 고가의 탄약을 대체할 더 저렴한 대안을 산업계에 요구하고 있는 가운데 이루어졌으며, 이란과의 전쟁으로 미군 탄약 비축량이 소진되고 있다는 우려가 제기된 데 뒤따른 것이다.

로이터가 앞서 보도한 지상발사형 정밀유도무기 재고의 감소는 분쟁이 확대될 경우 미국의 선택지를 더욱 어렵게 만들 수 있다. 이 경우 전투기와 폭격기 같은 유인 항공기에서 투하하는 무기에 더 크게 의존해야 할 수 있다. JDAM LR은 이러한 항공기들이 더 안전한 거리에서 표적을 공격할 기회를 제공할 수 있다.

F/A-18 슈퍼호넷에서 JDAM LR을 시험한 보잉은 신형 무기를 기존 JDAM을 탑재할 수 있는 모든 항공기에 “신속하게 통합”할 수 있다고 밝혔다. 여기에는 F-15 같은 전투기, B-52 같은 폭격기, 심지어 MQ-9A 리퍼 무인기도 포함된다. MQ-9A 리퍼는 이란 상공에서 수십 대의 손실을 입은 것으로 알려졌다.

Air Force signs off on production of long-range JDAM - Breaking Defense

Air Force signs off on production of long-range JDAM - Breaking Defense

Air Force signs off on production of long-range JDAM

The first kits of the JDAM LR will go to the US Navy, according to manufacturer Boeing.

By Michael Marrow on August 06, 2026 11:45 am

Share

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. (US Navy photo)

WASHINGTON — The Air Force has approved production of a turbojet-boosted Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), offering a new, long-range strike option for US aircraft, according to manufacturer Boeing. 

The production deal was awarded as a $75 million undefinitized contract, paving the way for the Navy to receive the first kits for the precision munition dubbed the JDAM Long Range, Boeing said in a Wednesday press release. The JDAM, which first saw combat over two decades ago, is a joint program between the Air Force and Navy that cheaply converts unguided bombs into precision munitions using a bolt-on kit, but the standard range was limited to roughly a dozen miles.

The press release did not disclose how many JDAM LR kits would be ordered under the initial contract. According to Boeing, the contract orders what’s called the BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit, essentially the full-up kit that when slapped on a dumb bomb creates the new JDAM LR.  

The engine-equipped JDAM dramatically extends the weapon’s range out to over 340 miles for a 500-pound class payload, according to Boeing. An “extended range” variant of the JDAM that’s already in service functions as a glide bomb, but only has a range of over 45 miles, a company fact sheet says. 

“This first production contract is a major milestone for the JDAM LR program, demonstrating our ability to deliver long-range precision-strike capability at a significantly lower cost,” Bob Ciesla, vice president of Boeing precision engagement systems, said in the company’s release. The release added that Boeing invested roughly $100 million internally to develop the weapon, and that “leveraging existing JDAM infrastructure” can help quickly scale production. 

The Navy revealed the long-range modification for the JDAM kit in April. A dual set of flight tests demonstrated the weapon “maintaining consistent guidance directly to its target” at a distance of “approximately 200 nautical miles,” the Navy said at the time. Boeing said in an April press release the first shot of the weapon “landed within meters of its planned target” and a second “successfully incorporat[ed] altitude changes and weapon maneuvering during an otherwise similar flight.”  

The weapon’s green-lit production comes as the Pentagon is pushing industry for cheaper alternatives to pricey munitions, and follows concerns that the US military’s stockpile is being drained by war with Iran.

A diminished inventory of ground-launched, precision munitions previously reported by Reuters could raise the stakes for any US escalation in the conflict, which may have to rely on air-delivered weapons from manned aircraft like fighters and bombers. The JDAM LR could offer those aircraft an opportunity to strike targets at a safer distance. 

Boeing, which tested the JDAM LR on an F/A-18 Super Hornet, said the new weapon can be “rapid[ly] integrat[ed]” with any aircraft capable of carrying JDAM predecessors, which would include fighter jets like the F-15, bombers like the B-52 or even MQ-9A Reaper drones, which have reportedly sustained dozens of losses over Iran.

[백선호]

싸게 만든 JASSM같은 존재네요.