Luftwaffe news and updates

[Waylander]

As we have no thread about it and I don't know where to put it I just open a new thread.

The Luftwaffe is the first customer for the LJDAM.

Boeing Laser JDAM Achieves 1st International Sale

ST. LOUIS, July 24, 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has signed a commercial contract with the government of Germany for the production of Laser Joint Direct Attack Munitions (LJDAM) and integration support on Tornado aircraft, marking the first international sale of the LJDAM weapon system. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

LJDAM consists of the standard JDAM guidance tailkit and a Precision Laser Guidance Set (PLGS) kit that acquires and tracks laser target signals. The weapon is designed to accurately and effectively engage both stationary and fast-moving targets. The tailkit and laser guidance set are attached in the field to convert 500-pound bombs into precision laser-guided munitions.

Delivery of the kits is expected to begin in mid-2009. The order includes options for additional kits in 2009.

This is a significant milestone for the Laser JDAM program. We're pleased to bring LJDAM's unique capabilities to our allies," said Dan Jaspering, Boeing Direct Attack program manager. "There is substantial interest in the weapon from the international community, and we expect additional orders in the near future."

Source: http://boeing.com/news/releases/2008/q3/080724a_nr.html

Looks like we finally get a PGM which is also really usefull for CAS and smaller targets. The current PGMs are not what I would call well suited for it. A Taurus standoff missile or a 2000lb GBU-24 are just a little bit too much for many situations.
Ok, one can always use a MW-1 to get a secure hit but...

And now my questions. Can these LJDAM kits only be attached to 500lb bombs or also to 1000lb bomb units?
And is it a dual kit meaning that one can decide during flight if he uses the laser guidance or the GPS guidance or does the ground crew has to decide on the ground wether the LJDAM is laser or GPS guided one?

BTW, are there any news wether HOPE/HOSBO is going to enter service with the Luftwaffe or not and if yes when does integration starts and on which platform?

 

[kato]

"First customer" after the USAF (delivered in April). As for 1000-lb availability, i'll point at the press release for that contract - the USAF only got kits for 500-lb bombs in the deal (600 kits for $28m, damn pricy), so i doubt a 1000-lb/2000-lb version is available at the moment.

BTW, are there any news wether HOPE/HOSBO is going to enter service with the Luftwaffe or not and if yes when does integration starts and on which platform?

Diehl itself says that integration can't happen before 2010, it's still in demonstrator phase. Considering it's always been planned as a weapon for Eurofighter primarily - and is shaped like a Eurofighter drop tank ("but is compatible with Tornado", duh) - i have my doubts we'll see it in service before 2014-2015, if at all.

 

[Waylander]

Yeah, I meant export customer.

BTW, could one of the mods repair the typo in the title?

 

[swerve]

BTW, could one of the mods repair the typo in the title?

Done. And I resisted the urge to make it "und".