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Kunsans 8th fighter wing doubles 'smart' bomb ability
July 22, 2003 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
The U.S. Air Force 8th fighter wing in South Korea has doubled its ability to drop high-tech "smart" bombs. The bombs pinpoint targets without being aimed by the pilot and are the same type used in the April 7 air strike against what was thought to have been Saddam Hussein's bunker in Baghdad.
A recent high-tech equipment upgrade means all F-16 fighters in Kunsan Air Base's 8th Fighter Wing can now attack targets with the joint direct attack munition (JDAM).
Until recently, only one of the wing's squadrons had been fitted with the gear needed to employ them.
Upgrades were completed recently to the F-16Cs of the wing's 80th Fighter Squadron, which flies the aircraft's block 30 variant. The wing's other combat unit, the 35th Fighter Squadron, got the upgrade about a year ago. It flies the block 40 variant.
Pilots simply feed the target's map coordinates into the JDAM's inboard computer, release the bomb, and fly off, a process known as "fire and forget".
The bomb's high-tech gear finds those coordinates with the help of global positioning satellites (GPS), and homes in on the target.
This way they can strike all-weather, day-night and through smokescreens.
Both squadrons already had the ability to use other high-tech munitions, like laser-guided bombs.
During a July 2 practice flight two inert JDAMs were succesfully dropped on a bombing range on South Korea's Chik-Do Island.
The own navigation system in the bomb really sets it appart. What that bomb is bascially doing is going toward the set of coordinates it has been told to, which means that the pilot doesn't have to actually look at the target for the bomb to hit near-precision.
The 80th FS got the upgrade earlier than planned because the Iraqi war.
Loading a JDAM is little different from loading other bombs. The JDAM takes maybe 45 to 50 minutes, some 15 minutes longer than other types because its smart-bomb technology requires a special cable hookup.
Lt. Col. Eric Schnitzer, the 80th's commanding officer, became the first active-duty U.S. Air Force pilot to drop a JDAM from a Block 30 on July 2.
Until recently, only one of the wing's squadrons had been fitted with the gear needed to employ them.
Upgrades were completed recently to the F-16Cs of the wing's 80th Fighter Squadron, which flies the aircraft's block 30 variant. The wing's other combat unit, the 35th Fighter Squadron, got the upgrade about a year ago. It flies the block 40 variant.
Pilots simply feed the target's map coordinates into the JDAM's inboard computer, release the bomb, and fly off, a process known as "fire and forget".
The bomb's high-tech gear finds those coordinates with the help of global positioning satellites (GPS), and homes in on the target.
This way they can strike all-weather, day-night and through smokescreens.
Both squadrons already had the ability to use other high-tech munitions, like laser-guided bombs.
During a July 2 practice flight two inert JDAMs were succesfully dropped on a bombing range on South Korea's Chik-Do Island.
The own navigation system in the bomb really sets it appart. What that bomb is bascially doing is going toward the set of coordinates it has been told to, which means that the pilot doesn't have to actually look at the target for the bomb to hit near-precision.
The 80th FS got the upgrade earlier than planned because the Iraqi war.
Loading a JDAM is little different from loading other bombs. The JDAM takes maybe 45 to 50 minutes, some 15 minutes longer than other types because its smart-bomb technology requires a special cable hookup.
Lt. Col. Eric Schnitzer, the 80th's commanding officer, became the first active-duty U.S. Air Force pilot to drop a JDAM from a Block 30 on July 2.
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