November 6, 2019Updated August 25, 2020
Defense Primer: U.S. Precision-Guided Munitions
The Department of Defense (DOD) defines a precisionguided munition (PGM) as a “guided weapon intended to
destroy a point target and minimize collateral damage.”
This includes air- and ship-launched missiles, multiple
launched rockets, and guided bombs. PGMs typically use
the global positioning system (GPS), laser guidance, or
inertial navigation systems to improve a weapon’s accuracy
to reportedly less than 3 meters (approximately 10 feet).
Recent operations have heavily relied on PGMs for counterinsurgency operations. The recent National Defense
Strategy articulates a renewed focus on great power
competition to combat anti-access/area denial (A2/AD)
systems. The wide proliferation of A2/AD is likely to
increase the operational utility of PGMs. In particular, peer
competitors like China and Russia have developed
sophisticated air defenses and anti-ship missiles that
increase the risk to U.S. forces entering and operating in
these regions. As a result, DOD has argued it requires
longer-range precision munitions to meet these new threats.
steer the bomb. The Paveway series was originally
developed during the Vietnam War to enable tactical
aircraft—like the F-4 Phantom—to deliver precise
munitions. Paveway has received many upgrades over
the decades, most recently the Paveway III (developed
in the 1990s), which improves low-altitude guidance.
Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). JDAM is a tail
kit that modifies unguided bombs—the 5,000 pound
Mk-82, 1,000 pound Mk-83, and 2,000 pound Mk-84
bombs—with GPS guidance (see Figure 2). When a
JDAM kit is attached, the weapon is designated a guided
bomb unit (GBU -31/32/38 depending on the weight of
the bomb). JDAM has a reported range of 13 nautical
miles. The first operational use of a JDAM was during
Operation Allied Freedom in Kosovo by a B-2 Spirit
bomber. JDAMs are used by all fixed-wing strike
aircraft.
Figure 2. GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition
Figure 1. U.S. Military Spending on PGMs FY2015FY2019FY2017FY2021 ($ in millions)
$6,000
$5,000
$4,000
$3,000
Source: https://militaryedge.org/armaments/gbu-31cv1-jdam/.
$2,000
Hellfire Missile. The first Hellfire was introduced into
$1,000 Hellfire Missile. The first Hellfire was introduced into
Source: Department of Defense Budget FY2017-2020 P-1
Procurement budget requests, at https://comptroller.defense.gov/
Budget-Materials/.
The U.S. military has become reliant on PGMs to execute
military operations (Figure 1), being used in ground, air,
and naval operations. In FY2020, DOD requested
approximately $5.6 billion for more than 70,000 such
weapons in 13 munitions programs. DOD projects to
request $4.4 billion for 34,000 weapons in FY2021, $3.3
billion for 25,000 weapons in FY2022, $3.8 billion for
25,000 weapons in FY2023, and $3.4 billion for 16,000
weapons in FY2024. The following is a list of selected U.S.
PGM programs.
Air-Launched Precision Munitions
Paveway Laser Guided Bomb. The Paveway is a
family of guidance kits that attach to unguided bombs.
The assembly includes a seeker on the nose of the bomb
that looks for a laser to mark a target and a tail kit to
service in 1982 on the Army’s AH-64 Apache, using
laser guidance to target tanks, bunkers, and structures.
Hellfire missiles have a maximum effective range of 4.3
nautical miles. During the late 1990s and early 2000s,
Hellfire missiles were introduced on the MQ-1 Predator,
and later the MQ-9 Reaper, enabling unmanned aerial
vehicles to provide a strike capability. Hellfire missiles
have become a preferred munition for operations in the
Middle East, particularly with increased utilization of
unmanned aircraft like MQ-1s and MQ-9s.
Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM). The Joint Airto-Ground Missile is designed to replace the Hellfire,
TOW, and Maverick missiles. JAGM uses a new
warhead/seeker paired with an existing AGM-114R
rocket motor to provide improved target acquisition and
discrimination. JAGM underwent testing starting in
2010, declaring initial operating capability in 2019
having successfully been integrated on the AH-64E
Apache and AH-1Z Super Cobra attack helicopters.
Joint Air-to-Surface Strike Munition (JASSM). The
JASSM is a 14-foot-long, 2,250-pound missile that can
be carried internally on B-1B Lancer and B-52
Stratofortress aircraft, and externally on a number of
$0
FY2017 FY2018 FY2019 FY2020 FY2021
Source: Department of Defense Budget FY2018-2021 P-1
Procurement budget requests, at https://comptroller.defense.gov/
Budget-Materials/.
The U.S. military has become reliant on PGMs to execute
military operations (Figure 1), being used in ground, air,
and naval operations. In FY2020, DOD requested
approximately $5.6 billion for more than 70,000 such
weapons in 13 munitions programs. DOD projects to
request $4.4 billion for 34,000 weapons in FY2021, $3.3
billion for 25,000 weapons in FY2022, $3.8 billion for
25,000 weapons in FY2023, and $3.4 billion for 16,000
weapons in FY2024. The following is a list of selected U.S.
PGM programs.
Air-Launched Precision Munitions
Paveway Laser Guided Bomb. The Paveway is a
family of guidance kits that attach to unguided bombs.
The assembly includes a seeker on the nose of the bomb
that looks for a laser to mark a target and a tail kit to
steer the bomb. The Paveway series was originally
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Defense Primer: U.S. Precision-Guided Munitions
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Stratofortress aircraft, and externally on a number of
tactical fighters, including the F-16 Falcon, F-15E Strike
Eagle, F/A-18 Hornet (see Figure 3), F/A-18E/F Super
Hornet, and F-35 Lightning II. In 2004, the Air Force
developed an extended range version of the JASSM.
The JASSM-ER uses the same body as the previous
version, adding an improved infrared seeker, a two-way
datalink, and enhanced anti-jam GPS receiver.
Figure 3. JASSM Attached to an F/A-18D Hornet
Guided Multiple Rocket Launch System (GMLRS).
GMLRS is a GPS-guided, 227-millimeter rocket that
was developed in 1999 and entered service in 2003. It is
capable of being launched from the M270 multiple
launch rocket system (MLRS) and the M142 HIMARS.
Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). The PrSM is a new
development program intended to replace ATACMS.
PrSM can launch from the M270 and HIMARS. The
Army states that PrSM is designed to be able to launch
two missiles in a launcher pod compared to ATACMS’s
single missile, have a range in excess of 400 kilometers,
and have an anti-jam GPS antenna. The Army plans to
have the PrSM enter operational service in FY2023.
Naval Precision Munitions
Tomahawk Cruise Missile. The Tomahawk was
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F18D_Hornet_(HN-466)Tour_de_Sky_2014-08-09_06_JDAM_AGM154.JPG.
Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). LRASM
was conceived by the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency, using a JASSM missile body to
replace the AGM-88 Harpoon. Flight testing began in
2012 with the B-1B and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
LRASM uses radio-frequency sensors and electrooptical/infrared seekers for guidance.
Ground-Launched Precision Munitions
Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). ATACMS
is a 610-millimeter rocket that can be launched from
either the M270 MLRS (two rockets) or the M142 High
Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) (one
rocket) (see Figure 4). ATACMS was developed in the
1980s and later updated to use GPS guidance. In 2016,
then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that
the Strategic Capabilities Office had developed a new
seeker for the ATACMS to target ships, enabling
multidomain operations.
developed during the early- to mid-1970s. It is launched
from submarines and from surface combatants.
Tomahawk has a reported range of 870 NM at speeds of
Mach 0.85, and uses GPS and inertial navigation
system. The Tomahawk Block IV is the latest variant.
Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). The Standard Missile-6
was originally designed as an anti-aircraft missile,
derived from the Navy’s SM-2 Block IV in 2004. Since
its development, the SM-6 has been integrated into the
Navy’s Naval Integrated Fires-Counter Air (NIF-CA)
program to strike enemy surface ships. The missile was
designed to receive targeting information from AEGIS
radars and the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in flight.
Naval Strike Missile (NSM). The NSM (see Figure 5)
is an anti-ship low observable cruise missile capable of
flying close the surface of the ocean to avoid radar
detection. The NSM is designed to fly multiple flight
profiles—different altitudes and speeds—with effective
ranges of between 100 and 300 nautical miles at a cruise
speed of up to 0.9 Mach. The Navy has integrated the
NSM on its Littoral Combat Ship, which deployed to the
Pacific region in September 2019.
Figure 5. NSM at Launch
Figure 4. ATACMS Launching
Source: https://www.naval-technology.com/news/us-navys-gabriellegiffords-lcs-launches-naval-strike-missile/.
CRS Products
CRS Report R45996, Precision-Guided Munitions: Background
and and
Issues for Congress, by John R. Hoehn.
Source: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheedmartin/mfc/pc/army-tacticle-missile-system-block-ia-unitary-atacms/
mfc-atacms-block-1a-unitary-pc.pdf.
John R. Hoehn, Analyst in Military Capabilities and
Programs
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Defense Primer: U.S. Precision-Guided Munitions
IF11353
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