Since the combat debut of the Joint Direct Attack Munition, the weapon has been used more than 15,000 times and is a weapon of choice for airmen in the Global War on Terror. The JDAM is a tail kit that turns an unguided bomb into a smart munition, according to Air Force journalist SSgt. Ryan Hansen of the Air Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Florida. The JDAM will also be one of the first weapons to be Universal Armament Interface compliant, a new technology that will allow the Air Force and Navy to integrate new precision munitions upgrades onto aircraft without major chances to software.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…