2003 Iraq War

GBU-31 JDAM in the 2003 Iraq War

U.S. forces used the 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAM during the 2003 Iraq War air campaign, including F-16 combat sorties and thousands of recorded air-war expenditures.

Weapon profileGBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109)
SideUnited States and coalition forcesRoleLong-Range Strike
GBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109), 2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb configuration, Munitions - 2003 Iraq War
Image source: US Navy GBU-31 loading photo

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. forces loaded GBU-31 precision-guided bombs on F-16s during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sources: Air Force F-16 GBU-31 Load

Block 30 F-16 combat missions over Iraq involved attempted GBU-31 JDAM drops and urgent operational testing to restore the release capability.

Sources: AFTC JDAM Urgent Operational Testing

The 2003 Iraq War air campaign expended 5,086 GBU-31 JDAMs according to the USCENTAF figures reproduced by Human Rights Watch.

Sources: HRW Off Target Appendix D, APUS OIF By the Numbers Archive

The GBU-31 is the 2,000-pound JDAM configuration using Mk 84-class or BLU-109 payload paths.

Sources: Air Force JDAM Fact Sheet

Timeline

GBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109) In 2003 Iraq War

  1. Urgent F-16 release fix begins

    Air Force Test Center history says combat F-16 pilots over Iraq reported a Block 30 software problem affecting GBU-31 JDAM drops, prompting same-day testing at Edwards and China Lake.

    Sources: AFTC JDAM Urgent Operational Testing

  2. Corrected software returns to the warfighter

    AFTC says a combined developmental and operational test produced good JDAM releases, after which the corrected software was released back to combat users.

    Sources: AFTC JDAM Urgent Operational Testing

  3. F-16 GBU-31 load documented

    U.S. Air Force imagery documented a 22nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron crew loading a GBU-31 on an F-16 for an Operation Iraqi Freedom mission.

    Sources: Air Force F-16 GBU-31 Load

  4. Air campaign expenditure report dated

    The Combined Forces Air Component Commander report later cited by Human Rights Watch was dated April 30, 2003 and recorded GBU-31 expenditures for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

    Sources: APUS OIF By the Numbers Archive, HRW Off Target Appendix D

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

U.S. Air Force and Air Force Test Center records directly place GBU-31 JDAMs in Operation Iraqi Freedom. On March 24, 2003, Air Force imagery documented a 22nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron weapons load crew loading a GBU-31 precision-guided bomb on an F-16 Fighting Falcon at a forward-deployed Operation Iraqi Freedom air base.

Air Force Test Center history also describes Block 30 F-16 pilots flying combat missions over Iraq who were affected by a software problem that interfered with their ability to drop GBU-31 JDAMs. The same account says a corrected software load was tested with live JDAM releases on March 21-22, 2003 and then released back to the warfighter.

Sources: Air Force F-16 GBU-31 Load, AFTC JDAM Urgent Operational Testing

Air-war scale

The GBU-31 was not a one-off loadout in Iraq. Human Rights Watch's Appendix D to Off Target, citing Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley's USCENTAF Operation Iraqi Freedom - By the Numbers report, lists 5,086 GBU-31 JDAMs among precision-guided munitions expended in the air war.

The archived metadata for Operation Iraqi Freedom - By the Numbers identifies the report as a Combined Forces Air Component Commander document dated April 30, 2003, prepared by Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley. That provenance is important because the expenditure table is an air-component accounting record rather than later unsourced retelling.

Sources: HRW Off Target Appendix D, APUS OIF By the Numbers Archive

Operational role

In Iraq, the GBU-31 served as an air-delivered precision strike munition for U.S. fighter and bomber aircraft. The Air Force describes JDAM as a GPS-aided inertial-guidance tail kit that turns unguided bomb bodies into all-weather guided air-to-surface weapons, with the GBU-31 using a 2,000-pound BLU-109 or Mk 84-class payload.

The Iraq records support use by the United States and coalition air forces, with direct F-16 evidence from March 2003 and aggregate expenditure data for the wider air campaign. The available public sources used here do not break the 5,086 GBU-31 figure down by bomb body, aircraft type, target category, or individual strike.

Sources: Air Force JDAM Fact Sheet, Air Force F-16 GBU-31 Load, HRW Off Target Appendix D

Related Weapons by Role

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Sources