Profile
- Type
- 2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided hard-target penetrator bomb
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Late 1990s-present
Aircraft & UAVs
GBU-31(V)3/B Joint Direct Attack Munition
The GBU-31(V)3/B is the hard-target penetrator variant of the 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition, pairing a Boeing JDAM GPS/INS tail kit with the BLU-109 penetrator bomb body. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official U.S. reporting described Strategic Command bombers using 2,000-pound GPS penetrating weapons against deeply buried Iranian missile-launcher targets during Operation Epic Fury.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built by
- Boeing
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- JDAM entered U.S. operational service in 1999; the GBU-31 family includes BLU-109 hard-target penetrator configurations.
- Used by
- United States Air Force, United States Navy
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Boeing
- Designed
- JDAM development began in 1992
- Built by
- Boeing
- Built in
- United States
- Unit cost
- About $22,000 per JDAM tail kit in fiscal 2007 dollars, excluding the bomb body
- Variants
- GBU-31(V)3/B, GBU-31 BLU-109 JDAM
Specifications
- Guidance
- GPS-aided inertial navigation system with tail-control kit
- Warhead
- 2,000-pound BLU-109 hard-target penetrator
- Launch platform class
- Fighter and bomber aircraft
- Accuracy
- Less than 6 meters in the most accurate GPS-aided mode according to the U.S. Navy JDAM fact file
- Standoff range
- About 15 miles in U.S. Air Force JDAM background material
- Payload family
- GBU-31 2,000-pound JDAM series
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Bomber-delivered precision penetration strike
During Operation Epic Fury in the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. Strategic Command bombers dropped dozens of 2,000-pound GPS penetrating weapons against deeply buried Iranian missile launchers across the southern flank.
GBU-31(V)3/B Joint Direct Attack Munition Images
Related Weapon Systems
GBU-31(V)1 Joint Direct Attack Munition2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb kitThe GBU-31(V)1 Joint Direct Attack Munition is Boeing's 2,000-pound GPS/INS guidance kit for the Mk 84 bomb body. UN and human rights reporting has linked GBU-31-class bombs to Israeli strikes in Gaza, U.S. stand-in precision strikes during the United States-Iran Conflict, and Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in the Yemen Civil War.
GBU-32 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition1,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb kitThe GBU-32 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition is Boeing's GPS/INS guidance kit for the Mk 83 or BLU-110 bomb body. In the Israel-Hamas War, OHCHR reported suspected Israeli use of GBU-32 bombs in Gaza strikes during the October to December 2023 period it reviewed.
B-52 StratofortressLong-range heavy bomberThe B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range U.S. heavy bomber. During the United States-Iran Conflict, Pentagon and CENTCOM releases documented B-52 combat flights and launch preparations for Operation Epic Fury, keeping the aircraft visible as a long-range strike platform in the 2026 escalation.
AGM-154 JSOWAir-launched guided glide bombThe AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon is a U.S.-built, 1,000-pound-class air-launched guided glide bomb that gives carrier and tactical aircraft a GPS/INS-guided standoff option against fixed land targets. In the Yemen Civil War archive it is represented through documented U.S. Navy F/A-18 loadouts for strikes against Houthi forces during the 2025 Red Sea escalation.
Ohio-class guided-missile submarineGuided-missile submarineThe Ohio-class guided-missile submarine is the U.S. Navy's converted SSGN platform for large Tomahawk strike loads and special-operations support. In the United States-Iran Conflict, DoD said a U.S. submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles at Esfahan during Operation Midnight Hammer, demonstrating the class's long-range maritime strike role.
AGM-179A JAGMAir-to-surface precision-guided missileThe AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground Missile is a U.S. dual-mode precision munition built to replace Hellfire-family missiles on rotary-wing, unmanned, and compatible fixed-wing platforms. In the United States-Iran Conflict archive it appears as a probable but contested candidate for the January 2020 Soleimani strike, with the munition identification based on defense reporting and fragment analysis rather than official U.S. confirmation.Sources
Air Force JDAM Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports JDAM manufacturer, background, GPS/INS guidance, compatible 2,000-pound BLU-109/Mk 84 payload class, aircraft compatibility, range, and unit-cost context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Navy JDAM Fact FilePublisher: U.S. Navy | Note: Supports JDAM background, BLU-109 hard-target-penetrator payload, GPS-aided INS guidance, aircraft integration, and accuracy statement. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AFTC JDAM Urgent Operational Need TestingPublisher: Air Force Test Center | Note: Supports GBU-31 background, integration of GPS/INS guidance kits with 2,000-pound hard-target penetrator bombs, and BLU-109 penetrator context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20366th MUNS GBU-31 Version 3 Bomb BuildPublisher: Mountain Home Air Force Base | Note: Supports GBU-31 Version 3 image provenance and identifies the munition as a 2,000 lb BLU-109 bomb body with a JDAM tail kit. | Accessed: 2026-06-20DoW Epic Fury Day 10 UpdatePublisher: U.S. Department of War | Note: In the United States-Iran Conflict, 2,000-pound GPS penetrating weapons were used by U.S. Strategic Command bombers against deeply buried Iranian missile launchers during Operation Epic Fury. | Accessed: 2026-06-20