A plan to sell Saudi Arabia highly accurate JDAM guidance kits as part of a planned $20 billion dollar arms sale is being met with howls of protest in the Congress.
As many as 253 members of the 435-seat House of Representatives have signed bipartisan warnings to Bush about such a sale to Saudi Arabia, which they consider a threat to Israel.
Israel became the first foreign buyer of JDAMs in 2000. Since then, 18 countries have followed, according to Boeing’s Web site. However, Israel is currently the only country in the Middle East that possesses JDAM technology.
The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit is a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided “smart” weapons. Since 1998, Boeing has produced more than 150,000 JDAM tail kits.
The JDAM kit consists of a new tail section that contains an Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System that:
- Utilizes global positioning system (GPS) technology
- Can be launched miles from a target
- Relies on the navigation system to update its trajectory all the way to impact
- Is used with MK-83/BLU-110, MK-84, BLU-109 and MK-82 warheads
The majority of bombs dropped by the U.S. in both Afghanistan and Iraq are JDAM equipped bombs. The precise nature of the weapon allows collateral damage to be kept to a minimum.
The JDAM sale would be part of a combined $20 billion in fresh U.S. arms sales to Gulf Arab states described by Washington as a strategic drive to counter Iran’s growing might.
In July, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described planned U.S. sales to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman as a counter to “the negative influences” of al Qaeda and Hezbollah as well as the countries Syria and Iran.
Rep. Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat, said he and 35 other House members plan to introduce a measure aimed at blocking a JDAM sale “the minute Congress is officially notified.”
Saudi Arabia remains the top regional buyer of U.S. weapons, including Boeing F-15 fighter aircraft, United Technologies Corp Black Hawk helicopters, and General Dynamics Corp light armored vehicles, night-vision goggles, thermal weapons sights, and long-range radios.
