Supersonic JDAM Drop

F/A-22 pilot Maj. John Teichert of the 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB, California, completed the first drop of a 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition while traveling at supersonic speeds on 14 July. The drop also marked the first time a JDAM was released supersonically from an internal weapons bay. The GBU-32 Separation Test Vehicle used in the test is the same size, shape, and weight as an actual bomb but did not include the guidance kit. The speeds at which the F/A-22 will eventually release the JDAM will far exceed any current aircraft's JDAM envelope. Subsonic testing from the F/A-22 came last year.