2001 War in Afghanistan

GBU-35 BLU-110 JDAM in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

U.S. Navy GBU-35 BLU-110 JDAM use in Afghanistan is documented as part of the Navy's 1,000-pound JDAM employment during the early Afghan air campaign, with public sources tying the weapon to carrier-based precision strike rather than listing individual GBU-35 release events.

Weapon profileGBU-35 BLU-110 Joint Direct Attack Munition
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleLong-Range Strike
GBU-35 BLU-110 Joint Direct Attack Munition, 1,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb, Munitions - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: JDAM family rendering

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
The GBU-35 BLU-110 JDAM was used by the U.S. Navy during the Afghan campaign.

Sources: Air Power Australia JDAM Matures

The supported side is United States, NATO, and Afghan government forces, with the public GBU-35-specific source identifying U.S. Navy use.

Sources: Air Power Australia JDAM Matures

The weapon was a naval 1,000-pound BLU-110 JDAM variant associated with F/A-18 carrier strike aircraft.

Sources: Air Power Australia JDAM Matures, Navy JDAM Fact File, Designation Systems JDAM Page

Navy aircraft used JDAMs as part of the Afghanistan air campaign, including first-night precision strikes, but public sources do not isolate individual GBU-35 release events.

Sources: NavIntPro Operation Enduring Freedom, RAND Air Power Against Terror

Timeline

GBU-35 BLU-110 Joint Direct Attack Munition In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. Navy carrier aircraft join the opening air campaign

    U.S. Navy carrier aircraft began strikes in Afghanistan from the North Arabian Sea; a naval campaign summary states that Navy aircraft used precision-guided munitions including JDAMs on the first night.

    Sources: NavIntPro Operation Enduring Freedom, RAND Air Power Against Terror

  2. GBU-35 Afghanistan use described in JDAM survey

    Air Power Australia described U.S. Navy GBU-32 and GBU-35 JDAMs as widely used during the Afghan campaign.

    Sources: Air Power Australia JDAM Matures

  3. Older GBU-35 label folded into Navy GBU-32 naming

    Designation Systems notes that the Navy abandoned the GBU-35(V)1/B nomenclature and later referred to 1,000-pound JDAMs as GBU-32(V)2/B regardless of warhead.

    Sources: Designation Systems JDAM Page

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Air Power Australia's JDAM survey directly identifies the U.S. Navy's GBU-32 and GBU-35 as 1,000-pound JDAM variants used widely during the Afghan campaign. The same article describes the GBU-35 as the Navy BLU-110/B-warhead path in the 1,000-pound JDAM class and places F/A-18C/D/E/F aircraft as the near-term naval JDAM delivery platforms.

Official Navy background supports the weapon-family context: JDAM is a GPS/INS guidance kit integrated on Navy fighter-attack aircraft, including F/A-18 and AV-8B platforms, and Navy JDAM configurations use 1,000-pound Mk 83 or BLU-110 warheads among other payloads. Designation Systems separately identifies GBU-35(V)1/B as a U.S. Navy BLU-110 JDAM designation before the Navy later folded 1,000-pound BLU-110 weapons into broader GBU-32(V)2/B nomenclature.

Sources: Air Power Australia JDAM Matures, Navy JDAM Fact File, Designation Systems JDAM Page

Timeline

The public timeline is strongest at the campaign and designation level rather than at individual GBU-35 strike level. On October 7, 2001, U.S. Navy carrier aircraft joined the opening Operation Enduring Freedom attacks from the North Arabian Sea, and Naval Intelligence Professionals' summary of the Naval History and Heritage Command account says Navy aircraft used precision-guided munitions including JDAMs during first-night strikes around Kandahar, Kabul, Herat, and Shindand.

By 2003, Air Power Australia described the GBU-32 and GBU-35 as Navy 1,000-pound JDAM variants already used widely in the Afghan campaign. Later designation references explain why subsequent Navy documentation may discuss the BLU-110 1,000-pound JDAM under GBU-32(V)2/B rather than the older GBU-35 label.

Sources: NavIntPro Operation Enduring Freedom, Air Power Australia JDAM Matures, Designation Systems JDAM Page

Operational role

The documented GBU-35 role in Afghanistan was naval air-delivered precision strike. Public sources do not provide a separate GBU-35 expenditure total, named target list, or individual release chronology. The direct-use claim is narrower: U.S. Navy 1,000-pound GBU-32 and GBU-35 JDAMs were used in the Afghan campaign, and the GBU-35 designation identifies the BLU-110 bomb-body variant in that Navy JDAM class.

That role fits the wider Navy air campaign context. Naval summaries of Operation Enduring Freedom describe carrier-based F-14 and F/A-18 strike aircraft using precision munitions, including JDAMs, in the opening attacks and subsequent strikes. RAND's air-campaign study likewise describes Navy F/A-18 participation from carriers in the North Arabian Sea and records multiple F/A-18 JDAM incidents in October 2001, while not distinguishing those incidents by 1,000-pound GBU-32 versus GBU-35 variant.

Sources: Air Power Australia JDAM Matures, NavIntPro Operation Enduring Freedom, RAND Air Power Against Terror

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Sources