Ukraine has become the first country in the world to use 1,000-pound (454 kg) Mark 83 bombs modified with JDAM-ER (Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range) kits.
This follows Ukraine’s previous adaptation of 500-pound JDAM-ER bombs, first reported in 2023, according to The Aviationist.
The report is based on a video published by Ukraine’s 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, which shows a Su-27 fighter jet deploying precision-guided glide bombs on Russian positions in a wooded area.
An OSINT analyst examined the footage and compared the bomb sizes under the Su-27’s wing with previously known images of 500-pound bombs, concluding that the newly observed bombs appear significantly larger, yet smaller than a 2,000-pound bomb.

According to The Aviationist, before this development, JDAM-ER kits were confirmed to exist for 500-pound (GBU-62) and 2,000-pound (GBU-64) bombs, but there was no official mention of a 1,000-pound version.
While Boeing and the US military have not publicly acknowledged such a variant, the footage suggests Ukraine may have developed or adapted the system independently for its air force.
JDAM-ER kits, originally developed in 2006-2008 by Boeing and Australia’s DSTO, were designed to enhance the range and accuracy of standard JDAM bombs by adding folding wings.
These kits have been used by the Royal Australian Air Force and, in the US, primarily for naval Quickstrike mines rather than conventional air-dropped bombs.
Previously, it was reported that Ukraine has already deployed laser weaponry against Russian targets, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.