Rotating Power
Tech. Sgt. Matt Gerrits, 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron armament systems specialist, lines up a 500 pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions onto a wing mounted bomb rack at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Feb. 1, 2017. Since 1999 the JDAM has achieved a 95 percent accuracy within 9.6 meters of the intended target. It also has a range of up to 15 miles and compatible with multiple Air Force and Navy aircraft. Tech. Sgt. Matt Gerrits, 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron armament systems specialist, loads a 500 pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions under the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Feb. 1, 2017. The JDAM is a guidance tail kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurate, adverse weather "smart" munitions. This enables employment of accurate air-to-surface weapons against high priority fixed and relocatable targets from fighter and bomber aircraft. Gerrits was loading the weapons in conjunction other loaded on the Conventional Rotary Launcher, a new weapons system capable of carrying several different types of munitions at one time. The CRL was being prepped to undergo its first live-fire training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ted Daigle/released)