The Air Force demonstrated the 500-pound laser joint direct attack munition for the first time off of the B-52H bomber during a recent test, Boeing, the bomb’s maker, announced Monday. This was the first time the LJDAM had been carried and delivered from the B-52, the company said. Another demonstration flight is scheduled for later this year, Boeing said. LJDAM comprises a laser-guidance package that is added to the standard GPS-navigation-aided JDAM. The laser guidance allows the weapon, which has traditionally been used to attack fixed or stationary targets accurately, the ability to strike fast moving objects with precision as well. LJDAM entered the Air Force’s inventory earlier this year. It was used for the first time in combat on Aug. 12 when an F-16 fighter from Joint Balad Base deployed one to take out a moving enemy vehicle in Diyala Province.
RTX, parent of Raytheon, Collins and Pratt & Whitney, is getting out of the space prime business and focusing on its "strengths" as a maker of space sensors, buses, and components, company COO Chris Calio said during an earnings call.