2023 Israel-Hamas War

GBU-31 JDAM in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War

Israeli use of GBU-31-class JDAMs in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War is documented through aircraft-loadout imagery, reported F-35I close-air-support employment in Gaza, munition-remnant analysis, and reported U.S. JDAM and BLU-109 transfers.

Weapon profileGBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109)
SideIsraelRoleLong-Range StrikeFire Support
GBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109), 2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb configuration, Munitions - 2023 Israel-Hamas War
Image source: US Navy GBU-31 loading photo

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Israeli F-15 and F-16 aircraft were documented in the Gaza air campaign with GBU-31(V)1 JDAM loadouts.

Sources: The Aviationist IAF Aircraft in Fight Against Hamas

Israeli F-35I Adirs were reported flying with GBU-31 JDAMs and using 2,000-pound weapons for close air support in Gaza.

Sources: The Aviationist F-35I CAS in Gaza

ARES/OSMP identified 2,000-pound-class JDAM evidence in the Israel-Gaza collection, including a tail-actuator remnant compatible with Mk 84 or BLU-109 bodies.

Sources: OSMP Israel and Gaza Collection

The United States reportedly transferred JDAM kits and BLU-109 bombs to Israel during the war.

Sources: Al Jazeera BLU-109 and JDAM Transfer Report

The July 13, 2024 al-Mawasi strike was assessed by ARES experts as involving at least three large bombs, most likely GBU-31s, with IDF-confirmed F-35 participation.

Sources: Danwatch Al-Mawasi F-35 Strike Investigation

The GBU-31 JDAM family uses a GPS-aided tail kit on 2,000-pound BLU-109 or Mk 84 bomb bodies.

Sources: Air Force JDAM Fact Sheet

Timeline

GBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109) In 2023 Israel-Hamas War

  1. Israeli fighter loadouts identified with GBU-31-class JDAMs

    The Aviationist identified Israeli F-15 and F-16 aircraft in the Gaza air campaign carrying GBU-31(V)1 JDAMs and discussed possible F-35I internal carriage of the same 2,000-pound JDAM configuration.

    Sources: The Aviationist IAF Aircraft in Fight Against Hamas

  2. F-35I close-air-support use reported

    The Aviationist reported that Israeli F-35I Adirs were flying with GBU-31 JDAMs and employing them in close-air-support scenarios in Gaza.

    Sources: The Aviationist F-35I CAS in Gaza

  3. U.S. transfer reporting describes JDAM and BLU-109 shipments

    Al Jazeera, summarizing Wall Street Journal reporting, said U.S. wartime shipments to Israel included about 3,000 JDAM kits and 100 BLU-109 2,000-pound bombs.

    Sources: Al Jazeera BLU-109 and JDAM Transfer Report

  4. Al-Mawasi strike assessed as likely GBU-31 use

    Danwatch and Information reported IDF confirmation that F-35 aircraft participated in the al-Mawasi strike and cited ARES experts who assessed that the largest 2,000-pound bombs, most likely GBU-31s, were used.

    Sources: Danwatch Al-Mawasi F-35 Strike Investigation

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The GBU-31 appears in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War through Israeli Air Force aircraft imagery and open-source weapons identification. On October 12, 2023, The Aviationist analyzed Israeli Air Force material from the opening Gaza air campaign and identified F-15s with GBU-31(V)1 JDAMs, F-16s typically carrying four GBU-31(V)1 JDAMs, and F-35I aircraft possibly carrying two internal GBU-31(V)1 JDAMs.

A second Aviationist report on November 7, 2023 tied the weapon more directly to Gaza ground operations. It reported that Israeli F-35I Adirs were flying with 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAMs and that IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi described an F-35I close-air-support event for troops in Gaza about 200 meters from the target using very heavy munitions.

Open Source Munitions Portal records compiled by ARES also identify GBU-31/JDAM evidence in the Israel-Gaza collection, including a 2,000-pound-class JDAM tail-actuator remnant compatible with Mk 84 or BLU-109 bomb bodies and an Israeli F-15C carrying Mk 84-series 2,000-pound bombs fitted with JDAM kits.

Sources: The Aviationist IAF Aircraft in Fight Against Hamas, The Aviationist F-35I CAS in Gaza, OSMP Israel and Gaza Collection

Timeline

Public evidence starts in the first week of the war, when Israeli Air Force photos and videos showed combat aircraft in strike loadouts. The October 12 imagery analysis identified GBU-31(V)1 JDAMs on F-15 and F-16 aircraft and discussed possible internal GBU-31 carriage by F-35Is.

By November 7, public reporting connected F-35I Adir close air support in Gaza to 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAMs. In December 2023, Al Jazeera summarized Wall Street Journal reporting that U.S. shipments since October 7 had included about 3,000 JDAM kits and 100 BLU-109 2,000-pound bombs.

Later incident-level reporting points to GBU-31-class weapons in Gaza in 2024. Danwatch and Information reported that the IDF confirmed F-35 participation in the July 13, 2024 al-Mawasi strike and that ARES experts assessed that the largest 2,000-pound bombs, most likely GBU-31s, were used, based on crater and fragment analysis.

Sources: The Aviationist IAF Aircraft in Fight Against Hamas, The Aviationist F-35I CAS in Gaza, Al Jazeera BLU-109 and JDAM Transfer Report, Danwatch Al-Mawasi F-35 Strike Investigation

Operational role

In this conflict, the GBU-31 was an Israeli air-delivered precision strike munition used from fixed-wing aircraft. The public sources identify or assess carriage on Israeli F-15, F-16, and F-35I aircraft, with the November 2023 F-35I reporting describing close air support for Israeli troops inside Gaza.

The record should distinguish loadout evidence from strike evidence. Aircraft images show that Israeli aircraft were armed with GBU-31-class weapons during the campaign, while remnant and crater analysis is needed to connect a GBU-31-class weapon to a specific strike location. The Danwatch/Information al-Mawasi reporting is one such incident-level source, but it presents the GBU-31 identification as an expert assessment rather than a full official munition declaration.

The GBU-31 family in this catalog covers both Mk 84-class and BLU-109 bomb-body paths. The Air Force fact sheet describes JDAM as a GPS-aided tail-kit weapon using either 2,000-pound BLU-109 or Mk 84 payloads, while the OSMP remnant note likewise treats the identified 2,000-pound-class JDAM kit as compatible with either Mk 84 or BLU-109 bodies.

Sources: Air Force JDAM Fact Sheet, The Aviationist IAF Aircraft in Fight Against Hamas, The Aviationist F-35I CAS in Gaza, OSMP Israel and Gaza Collection, Danwatch Al-Mawasi F-35 Strike Investigation

Related Weapons by Role

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Sources