The Ukrainian Armed Forces May Have Struck Command Posts In Donetsk With The Latest American JDAM-LR Missile
- 27.08.2026, 15:22
Its range is about 550 km.
Defense forces may have attacked command posts of the Russian occupiers in occupied Donetsk with a new American JDAM-LR cruise missile, which has a range of about 550 km. This is evidenced by images of munition debris posted online, according to Defense Express on Thursday, August 27.
According to the Russian occupiers, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck one of the targets on August 26 with Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. However, other debris bore the marking 6F8W7, belonging to the Australian company Ferra Aerospace. It collaborates, in particular, with the American company Boeing, for which it manufactures wing kits for JDAM-ER gliding guided bombs.
These munitions look very similar to those whose debris was found in Donetsk—in terms of wing shape and mounting system, according to Defense Express. At the same time, the JDAM-ER’s maximum range is 75 km. This is not enough for a successful strike on Donetsk.
Russian sources claim that the Defense Forces attacked the city using the latest version of the munition—the JDAM-LR with jet engines. The JDAM-LR has transitioned from the glide bomb category to the cruise missile category and was first tested as recently as April 2026. The missile is equipped with the same set of wings as the previous version—the JDAM-ER.
According to Defense Express, the JDAM-LR has a maximum range of over 300 nautical miles (555 km), which is more than enough to strike Donetsk.
It is known that the JDAM-LR is mounted on a 500-pound (226.7 kg) Mk-82 aerial bomb. Such a warhead is sufficient to destroy a four-story factory building in Donetsk, the article states.
The JDAM-LR is guided using an inertial navigation system and GPS. The missile can be launched from any aircraft capable of deploying conventional JDAMs. In Ukraine, these could include F-16s, as well as Soviet-era MiG-29s and Su-27s, analysts note.
At this time, it is not known for certain whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces used JDAM-LRs—which the U.S. only recently began mass-producing—in their attack on occupied Donetsk. If so, Ukraine has received only a small number of such missiles—likely for testing in modern combat conditions, Defense Express speculates.