The Air Force recognized Tuesday that it needs more missiles to fight the Islamic State than initially anticipated in 2014.
The service nearly doubled its order for Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) tail kits due to “warfighter demand and to replenish depleted inventories,” according to a U.S. Department of Defense press release.
The initial contract, awarded October 30, 2014, budgeted $1.7 billion for the JDAM tail kits, which the service raised to $3.2 billion Tuesday.
The missile attachments, which cost about $25,000 a pop, turn regular bombs into smart bombs so that drone operators and B-52 bombers can blow up terrorists exactly where they sit. The tail kits attach to regular bombs, providing a GPS and guidance system for accurate targeting. Precision-guided missiles are widely used by the U.S. and its allies in airstrikes against ISIS.
USA Today reported in December that about 20,000 bombs had been dropped in the fight against ISIS.
“We’re expending munitions faster than we can replenish them,” Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Walsh told the website. “We need the funding in place to ensure we’re prepared for the long fight. This is a critical need.”
The new contract also includes “unspecified foreign sales.” The initial contract announcement said that 30 percent of the missiles would be sold to Norway, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. Of those three coalition partners in Operation Inherent Resolve, only the UAE has participated in air strikes against ISIS.
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