Australia is providing Ukraine with Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended-Range (JDAM-ER) glide bombs kits following their withdrawal from service from the Royal Australian Air Force, Australian Defense Magazine reported on Nov. 1.
JDAMs are wing kits that convert simple free-falling bombs into guided ammunition, improving accuracy thanks to a GPS helping the bomb adjust its course while approaching the target.
Once dropped, the bomb deploys wings, allowing it to glide up to 72 kilometers, tripling the range of the original weapon, according to Bloomberg.
Earlier this year in July, Australia announced 250 million Australian dollars ($168 million) in military assistance for Ukraine, in what was the largest package of aid the country has provided since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Since then, Australia said on Oct. 16 that the country will donate 49 "soon-to-be-retired" U.S.-made Abrams tanks, Australian media outlet ABC News reported.
According to Australian Defense Magazine, an unspecified number of JDAM-ERs were delivered to Ukraine, although it was not immediately clear as to when the weapons were delivered.
The Kyiv Independent has not been able to independently verify the munitions transfer and Kyiv has not commented on their delivery.
The delivery of the munitions falls in line the Australian government's Defence’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Plan, which revealed on Oct. 30 that the country withdrew its inventory of Australian-built 225-kg JDAM-ER glide bombs in 2021.
The reported delivery of JDAMs comes as Russian KAB guided aerial bombs continue to decimate Ukrainian cities on the front line. Transforming older, predominantly Soviet-era aerial bombs into 500-kg guided bombs continues to damage civilian infrastructure while causing civilian casualties.
Throughout the full-scale war, Ukraine has already used U.S.-made Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) guided kits for aerial bombs, which were first delivered in February 2023.
During a visit to Kyiv in April 2024, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles previously announced that the country was "providing critical air-to-ground precision munitions and short-range air defense systems."
Controversy erupted earlier in 2024 when media reports emerged that the Australian military decided to quietly disassemble and bury its fleet of multi-role Taipan helicopters, even though Kyiv sent an official request for their transfer to Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Australia has provided Ukraine with more than $1 billion in aid, including $866 million in military assistance.
Martin Fornusek
