US JDAM-ER Weapons to Saudi Arabia: The United States has approved a possible $5 billion Foreign Military Sale of JDAM-ER weapons and related equipment to Saudi Arabia. The approval was announced by the US Department of State on September 4, 2026.
The proposed deal includes more than 10,000 JDAM guidance kits and 10,000 general-purpose bomb bodies. Boeing will be the main contractor for the package. The sale still falls under the Foreign Military Sales process, so the approval is for a possible sale rather than confirmation that all the weapons have already been delivered.
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What Saudi Arabia will get under the deal
The package is made up of different JDAM guidance kits and bomb bodies. Together, they can turn regular free-fall bombs into precision-guided weapons.
| Equipment | Quantity |
|---|---|
| KMU-572 JDAM guidance kits | 5,004 |
| KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits | 5,000 |
| BLU-111 500-lb general purpose bombs | 5,004 |
| BLU-117 2,000-lb general purpose bombs | 5,000 |
The deal also includes FMU-139 fuze systems. DSU-38 and DSU-40 target detectors are part of the package too. Saudi Arabia would also receive containers, support equipment, spare parts, consumables and accessories.
US government and contractor support is included in the proposal. This covers engineering work along with technical and logistics support. Repair and return services are also part of the package.
Why Saudi Arabia is buying JDAM-ER weapons
JDAM kits are used to give older unguided bombs much better accuracy. The system uses GPS and inertial navigation to help the weapon reach its planned target.
JDAM-ER goes a step further by adding a wing kit to the bomb. This gives the weapon a much longer glide range than a standard JDAM. Boeing says the extended-range version can travel more than 70 km under suitable launch conditions.
The US State Department said “The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s airborne defence capability to counter current and future regional threats, strengthen its homeland defence, and improve interoperability with systems operated by US forces and other Gulf region partners,”
The department also said the package would support Saudi Arabia’s security and help it work more closely with US forces and other Gulf partners. Washington stated that the proposed sale wouldn’t alter the military balance in the region.
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Boeing to be the Main Contractor
Boeing has been listed as the principal contractor for the proposed sale. The company has already worked on the JDAM-ER system and its wing kit technology.
The US government said there was no known offset agreement linked to the deal at this stage. Any such agreement would be worked out later between Saudi Arabia and the contractor. The notification also said the sale wouldn’t require extra US government or contractor personnel to be assigned to Saudi Arabia and would have no adverse impact on US defence readiness.
