2001 War in Afghanistan

GBU-32 1,000-pound JDAM in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

U.S. Navy caption evidence documents a VFA-131 F/A-18 carrying the first combat-carriage GBU-32 JDAM over Afghanistan on March 29, 2002, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Weapon profileGBU-32 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire Support
GBU-32 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition, 1,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb kit, Munitions - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: F-22 dropping GBU-32 photo

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
The GBU-32 was fielded by U.S. Navy aircraft in the 2001 War in Afghanistan.

Sources: Navy GBU-32 Afghanistan Combat Mission Photo

The documented Afghanistan appearance was a VFA-131 F/A-18 combat-carriage loadout in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sources: Navy GBU-32 Afghanistan Combat Mission Photo

The 1,000-pound JDAM had Navy initial operational capability in fiscal year 2002.

Sources: Navy JDAM Fact File

The JDAM family uses GPS/INS guidance to convert existing bomb bodies into adverse-weather precision munitions.

Sources: Air Force JDAM Fact Sheet, Navy JDAM Fact File

Timeline

GBU-32 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. 1,000-pound JDAM reaches Navy IOC

    The U.S. Navy fact file records fiscal year 2002 initial operational capability for the 1,000-pound JDAM kit.

    Sources: Navy JDAM Fact File

  2. GBU-32 photographed over Afghanistan

    A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet from VFA-131 was photographed carrying the first combat-carriage GBU-32 JDAM while conducting combat missions over Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

    Sources: Navy GBU-32 Afghanistan Combat Mission Photo

Documented Use

Direct proof of fielding

The GBU-32 1,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition is directly documented in the 2001 War in Afghanistan through a released U.S. Navy image caption for March 29, 2002. The caption identifies an F/A-18 Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 131 carrying the first combat-carriage GBU-32 under its starboard wing while conducting combat missions over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The source supports combat carriage and fielding by U.S. Navy aircraft in the Afghanistan theater. This record does not treat that caption as proof that the aircraft released the bomb during the photographed mission.

Sources: Navy GBU-32 Afghanistan Combat Mission Photo

Timeline

The Navy fact file places the 1,000-pound JDAM's initial operational capability in fiscal year 2002, the same period in which the VFA-131 combat-carriage image was taken over Afghanistan. That sequencing places the photographed Operation Enduring Freedom carriage at the weapon's early operational fielding stage.

On March 29, 2002, VFA-131, deployed with Carrier Air Wing Seven aboard USS John F. Kennedy, was photographed carrying the new GBU-32 during combat missions over Afghanistan.

Sources: Navy JDAM Fact File, Navy GBU-32 Afghanistan Combat Mission Photo

Operational role

In Afghanistan, the documented GBU-32 appearance was a carrier-aircraft precision-strike loadout rather than a ground-launched or locally held weapon. The carrying aircraft belonged to the U.S.-led side of the conflict and operated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

The broader JDAM family converts unguided bomb bodies into GPS/INS-guided bombs for adverse-weather precision attack. The GBU-32 represented the 1,000-pound class in that family, giving Navy strike aircraft a smaller precision option than 2,000-pound JDAM loads while retaining all-weather guidance.

Sources: Navy GBU-32 Afghanistan Combat Mission Photo, Navy JDAM Fact File, Air Force JDAM Fact Sheet

Images

Conflict Context

U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet carrying a GBU-32 JDAM over Afghanistan
A VFA-131 F/A-18 Hornet carrying the first combat-carriage GBU-32 JDAM over Afghanistan on March 29, 2002.

Sources: Navy GBU-32 Afghanistan Combat Mission Photo

Related Weapons by Role

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GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, 500-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb, MunitionsMunitionsGBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition500-pound GPS/INS-guided bombGBU-38 Mk-82 JDAM is Boeing's 500-pound GPS/INS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition, turning the Mk 82 bomb body into an all-weather precision air-to-surface weapon. U.S. Air Force sources list the GBU-38 at 92.6 inches long, 558 pounds at launch, a 14-inch wingspan, up to 15 miles range, and 5-meter-or-less CEP when GPS data is available, while combat reporting documents F-15E, F-16, B-1B, and MQ-9 employment in Afghanistan, Iraq, and 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve.
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Sources