2001 War in Afghanistan

GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition in the 2001 War in Afghanistan

U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft used GBU-38 500-pound JDAMs in Afghanistan for close-air-support strikes against enemy personnel, firing positions, bunkers, mortar positions, vehicles, and compounds.

Weapon profileGBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition
SideUnited States, NATO, and Afghan government forcesRoleFire Support
GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, 500-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb, Munitions - 2001 War in Afghanistan
Image source: Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-31/32/38

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles dropped GBU-38s in Afghanistan on September 5, 2007 near Kandahar, Oruzgan, Orgun-E, and Tarin Kowt.

Sources: DVIDS September 5 Airpower Summary

A-10, B-1B, and F-15E aircraft used GBU-38s in Afghanistan missions reported for December 31, 2007.

Sources: AFCENT December 31 Airpower Summary

F-15E aircraft used GBU-38s to destroy an enemy mortar position at Deh Rawod on January 10, 2008.

Sources: AFCENT January 10 Airpower Summary

F-15E, B-1B, A-10, and Navy F/A-18 aircraft are documented in Afghanistan GBU-38 employment examples between 2007 and 2009.

Sources: DVIDS September 5 Airpower Summary, AFCENT December 31 Airpower Summary, DVIDS July 14 Airpower Summary, DVIDS January 11 2009 Airpower Summary

An MQ-9 Reaper was photographed at Kandahar Airfield in 2018 armed with four GBU-38 JDAMs before a mission.

Sources: Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-31/32/38

Timeline

GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition In 2001 War in Afghanistan

  1. F-15Es release GBU-38s in multiple Afghanistan locations

    DVIDS reported F-15E GBU-38 employment near Kandahar, Oruzgan, Orgun-E, and Tarin Kowt during ISAF and Afghan security-force support operations.

    Sources: DVIDS September 5 Airpower Summary

  2. A-10, B-1B, and F-15E GBU-38 strikes documented

    AFCENT reported GBU-38 use by A-10s in Tarin Kowt, B-1Bs in Now Zad and Qalat, and an F-15E in Lashkar Ghar.

    Sources: AFCENT December 31 Airpower Summary

  3. F-15Es destroy mortar position with GBU-38s

    AFCENT said F-15E Strike Eagles destroyed an enemy mortar position in a compound at Deh Rawod using GBU-38s.

    Sources: AFCENT January 10 Airpower Summary

  4. F-15E, F/A-18F, and B-1B GBU-38 use reported

    DVIDS reported GBU-38 employment by F-15E, Navy F/A-18F, and B-1B aircraft around Nangalam, Kandahar, Ghazni, and Now Zad.

    Sources: DVIDS July 14 Airpower Summary

  5. B-1B and A-10 GBU-38 use reported

    DVIDS reported a B-1B dropping GBU-31 and GBU-38 weapons near Kajaki Dam and an A-10 destroying a building near Musa Qala with a GBU-38.

    Sources: DVIDS January 11 2009 Airpower Summary

  6. MQ-9 shown armed with GBU-38s at Kandahar

    The U.S. Air Force fact sheet image caption identifies an MQ-9 Reaper at Kandahar Airfield armed with four GBU-38 JDAMs before a mission.

    Sources: Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-31/32/38

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Official U.S. Central Command airpower reporting directly documents GBU-38 use in Afghanistan. On September 5, 2007, U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles dropped GBU-38s near Kandahar, Oruzgan, Orgun-E, and Tarin Kowt during International Security Assistance Force support operations.

The same reporting format records repeated Afghanistan employment after that date. AFCENT and DVIDS summaries describe F-15E, B-1B, A-10, and Navy F/A-18 aircraft releasing GBU-38s against enemy personnel, firing positions, bunkers, mortar positions, compounds, and vehicles while supporting coalition, ISAF, and Afghan security forces.

Sources: DVIDS September 5 Airpower Summary, AFCENT December 31 Airpower Summary, DVIDS July 14 Airpower Summary, DVIDS January 11 2009 Airpower Summary

Documented strike pattern

The documented GBU-38 record is concentrated in close-air-support and battlefield interdiction missions rather than strategic bombing. The September 2007 summary ties the munition to hillside enemies, enemy compounds, personnel and a vehicle, a mortar position, enemy firing positions, and a Tarin Kowt position, all inside a daily air-support account for ISAF and Afghan security-force operations.

Later summaries broaden the aircraft set. On December 31, 2007, AFCENT reported A-10 use of a GBU-38 against an enemy structure in Tarin Kowt, B-1B strikes with GBU-31s and GBU-38s in Now Zad and Qalat, and F-15E use of GBU-38s and a GBU-12 against enemy combatants in Lashkar Ghar.

Sources: DVIDS September 5 Airpower Summary, AFCENT December 31 Airpower Summary

2008 and 2009 examples

A January 10, 2008 AFCENT summary said F-15E Strike Eagles destroyed a mortar position in a compound at Deh Rawod with GBU-38s. A May 27, 2008 AFCENT article recorded F-15E use of GBU-31s and GBU-38s near Nagalam and a B-1B release of a GBU-38 near Qal-e-Naw.

DVIDS reporting for July 14, 2008 documented F-15E GBU-38 releases near Nangalam, Navy F/A-18F use near Kandahar, B-1B GBU-38 and GBU-31 strikes near Ghazni and Now Zad, and additional F/A-18F GBU-12 and GBU-38 releases around Kandahar. On January 11, 2009, DVIDS reported a B-1B dropping GBU-31 and GBU-38 weapons near Kajaki Dam and an A-10 using a GBU-38 near Musa Qala after enemy personnel continued firing from a building.

Sources: AFCENT January 10 Airpower Summary, AFCENT May 27 Airpower Summary, DVIDS July 14 Airpower Summary, DVIDS January 11 2009 Airpower Summary

Role in the conflict

The sourced Afghanistan record supports a U.S.-led coalition role for the GBU-38 as an air-delivered precision close-air-support bomb. Documented launch aircraft include F-15E Strike Eagles, B-1B Lancers, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, and Navy F/A-18 variants; an Air Force fact sheet also shows an MQ-9 Reaper armed with four GBU-38s at Kandahar Airfield before a February 2018 mission.

The cited sources do not show Taliban or allied militant operation of the GBU-38. They document incident-level employment and fielding examples within the 2001-2021 war rather than a complete inventory of every Afghanistan JDAM sortie.

Sources: Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-31/32/38, DVIDS September 5 Airpower Summary, DVIDS July 14 Airpower Summary, DVIDS January 11 2009 Airpower Summary

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Sources