GBU-75 hits ~300 nm in tests

A guided bomb is usually a “dumb” bomb with a tail kit. The Navy says Boeing’s new GBU-75 JDAM Long Range adds a small jet engine and has now flown 200-nautical-mile test missions off California. (news.usni.org) (boeing.com) Naval Air Systems Command disclosed the tests during the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space symposium in National Harbor, Maryland, on April 20, 2026. The service classified the weapon as GBU-75 and said the flights took place on April 1 and April 3 over the Point Mugu Sea Range off California. (news.usni.org) (navalnews.com) The first flight traveled 200 nautical miles in 34 minutes and landed within a few meters of its planned target, according to Naval News’ account of the Navy release. The second flew a more complex profile with altitude changes and maneuvering through the mission. (navalnews.com) (news.usni.org) The basic idea is simple: take the Joint Direct Attack Munition, which normally turns a free-fall bomb into a GPS-guided weapon, and give it much more reach. Boeing’s current JDAM-ER does that with folding wings and has demonstrated more than 40 nautical miles with a 500-pound Mk 82-class weapon. (boeing.com) JDAM LR goes further by adding what Boeing calls compact air-breathing propulsion, which is a small engine that keeps pushing the weapon after release. Boeing’s 2026 product card lists a range of 300-plus nautical miles with a 500-pound warhead and 700-plus nautical miles with a low-cost decoy fuel tank. (boeing.com) The Navy is pitching two jobs for the weapon: maritime strike and sea mining. USNI reported that the same family could let aircraft attack ships or drop naval mines from hundreds of miles away instead of flying much closer to defended waters. (news.usni.org) That matters because the Navy’s carrier air wing still relies heavily on weapons with shorter reach or much higher cost. Capt. Sarah Abbott, the Precision Strike Weapons program manager, said the new capability would let pilots engage from “significantly safer distances” in contested environments. (navalnews.com) Boeing also says JDAM LR is designed to fit aircraft that already carry JDAM, using existing interfaces and in-weapon launch calculations. That means the service is trying to avoid the longer integration path that comes with a brand-new missile. (boeing.com) (navalnews.com) The Navy has not publicly shown a 300-nautical-mile test shot yet. What it has disclosed so far are two 200-nautical-mile flights in April, while Boeing’s own literature says the design target is 300-plus nautical miles. (news.usni.org) (boeing.com) So the headline is narrower than the hype: the GBU-75 is now a flown Navy program, not just a concept slide. The next question is whether carrier testing turns Boeing’s 300-plus-nautical-mile brochure claim into an operational Navy weapon. (navalnews.com) (boeing.com)