As reported by The Aviationist and Osinttechnical, Ukrainian Su-27s have begun using 1,000-pound (454 kg) Mark 83 bombs. They have been adapted for the JDAM-ER planning and correction kit.
Points of attention
- In a new video of Ukrainian soldiers, you can see the moment of dropping high-precision glide bombs on Russian army positions.
- The Ukrainian Armed Forces could receive a special version of the JDAM-ER kit for 1,000-pound bombs, created for their needs.
What is known about Mark 83 bombs?
Foreign experts and analysts have drawn attention to a video recently released by the 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade.
It shows a Ukrainian Su-27 dropping a pair of precision-guided bombs on Russian army positions.
It is important to understand that until now, only variants of the JDAM-ER kits were known to exist for 500-pound and 2,000-pound bombs. They were designated GBU-62 and GBU-64, respectively.
Official Washington has never mentioned a ready-made version of the JDAM-ER kit for 1,000-pound bombs.
Experts believe that the US could have manufactured it specifically for the needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) is a special kit that converts conventional free-fall bombs into guided ones by retrofitting them with aerodynamic kits with GPS guidance. JDAM began to be used in 1999.
