Boeing Defense has a $75-million award from the U.S. Air Force to begin production of the Joint Direct Attack Munition Long Range Payload Delivery Unit, signaling the JDAM LR program’s transition from the development stage into initial production.

“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,” stated vice president Bob Ciesla, of Boeing Precision Engagement Systems.

The JDAM-LR is an updated version to the current JDAM precision-guided weapons, incorporating the established guidance capabilities with foldable wings, a small turbojet engine, and standard aircraft interfaces, resulting in a precision-guided weapon capable of delivering a 500-lbs. payload to targets more than 300 nautical miles away.

Boeing reportedly invested nearly $100 million to develop the JDAM LR prior to the production contract. It recently completed the weapon's first powered flight test off the California coast, and demonstrated its capability for powered flight, military-code GPS navigation, and guidance to the target.

The new design will be manufactured by Boeing’s existing JDAM production infrastructure, which is expected to minimize the Pentagon’s procurement costs and expedite supply replenishment.

Because the award is characterized as an “undefinitized contract action,” the Pentagon has not announced its length or scope of deliverables. Strategically, the award is emphasizes current U.S. military tactics that adopt long-range weapons for conflicts in which aircraft must elude air-defense networks.

It also matches current Pentagon efforts to increase inventories of lower-cost, precision munitions.