Steven L Basham

The B-2a and 500 Pound Jdam: A New Concept of Mass Steven L Basham

Publisher Marketing: As a key tenant of Joint Vision 2020 and one of the core competencies of the United States Air Force, precision strike is a key component to fast and decisive victory in war and some operations other than war. Precision strike is now more than ever the norm for employment of military forces and especially the air arm. The capability of a single or multiple B-2s, carrying 80, 500-pound near-precision weapons each, to strike a large number of targets with precision, while evading enemy radar, minimizes the number of aircrews in danger and maximizes the effects across the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of the campaign. With limited assets, the United States military must maximize the effectiveness of each weapon system. This paper gives a closer look into the concept of operations for employing the B-2 and JDAM 82. The B-2's long-range, stealth, and heavy-payload capabilities coupled with the JDAM 82's near-precision accuracy make an extremely viable weapon system across a range of operational scenarios. When considering the appropriate use of the B-2 carrying the JDAM 82, there are a number of influences that should be considered such as collateral damage, weather, enemy air defenses, intelligence, mission planning, and aircrew workload. Considering these influences provides the foundation for understanding how to employ the B-2 with the JDAM 82 to achieve a desired outcome in differing scenarios.