U.S. Approves Export of "Smart Bomb" JDAM to Korea in $106 Million Deal

The U.S. government has officially approved the export of equipment and technology related to the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), a precision-guided bomb, to Korea. The total contract value amounts to $106 million (approximately 165 billion won).

On June 5 (local time), the U.S. Department of State announced that it had approved the export contract for JDAM guidance devices and related services to the Korean government through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The FMS is a government-to-government contract method in which the U.S. government guarantees and sells arms to allied countries.

This approval was granted following the Korean military authorities' request to purchase 708 KMU-557 JDAM tail kits and 58 KMU-572 JDAM guidance kits. The contract includes a wide range of support, such as weapons support equipment as well as engineering, technical, and logistics support services from both the U.S. government and defense contractors. The main contractor for this project is Boeing of the United States.

JDAM, also known as a "smart bomb," is a device that converts conventional bombs into precision strike weapons by equipping them with satellite navigation system (GPS), inertial navigation system (INS) guidance kits, and wings. Its key feature is the ability to conduct precision bombing missions regardless of weather conditions or whether it is day or night.

Regarding this arms export, the U.S. Department of State commented, "This will strengthen the Korean military's core regional air defense capabilities and further solidify interoperability with U.S. forces," adding, "Through this, Korea's ability to respond to a variety of current and future security threats will be further enhanced."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.