RAF LAKENHEATH, England — A new weapon was added to the 48th Fighter Wing arsenal last week when F-15E Strike Eagles successfully dropped Joint Direct Attack Munitions at the Aberporth Range in the United Kingdom.

It was the first time such munitions, known as JDAMs, have been dropped from F-15 aircraft, adding to the weapons capability of the fighter, according to an Air Force news release.

Four F-15E aircraft dropped inert JDAMs within a few meters of their target during a training mission last Tuesday.

JDAMs have been successfully dropped from bombers and the F-16 Fighting Falcon, but last week’s effort was a first for the F-15 and the 48th Fighter Wing, also known as the Liberty Wing.

“The Strike Eagle and Liberty Wing have entered a new era with this weapons capability,” said Capt. Matt Lengel, a pilot with the 48th Operations Support Squadron and the project officer for the bomb drop, said in the news release.

The JDAM is a precision-guidance tail kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurate guided weapons.

With the addition of a new tail section that contains an inertial navigational system and a global positioning system guidance control unit, JDAM improves the accuracy of unguided, general purpose bombs in any weather condition.

Once released from the aircraft, the JDAM navigates itself to the target coordinates.

A major advantage to the JDAM is its all-weather capabilities.

Bad weather can limit the effectiveness of other guided weapons that are carried by the F-15E, such as the 2,000-pound GBU-15.

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