LJDAM 54 - Laser or Coordinates Guided ?

[Avio]

Needing to clarify -- when a moving target is continuously lased, is the LJDAM 54 guiding on continuously wireless feeding of coordinates from the ship, or is it following the laser spot like any other GBU? If guiding on coordinates, I assume if lasing a stationery target and I may break lock and turn tail after firing?

 

[RaisedByWolves]

It’s following the laser. 

[Ignition]

It should update the coordinate by looking at the laser, I don't know how it works on DCS. I guess it will guide like a paveway II

[Avio]

So here's my answer to my own question ... just tried, and yes with laser ranging away while JDAM is flying in, it would be looking at the laser spot, not the previously transferred coordinates.

 

[WizzRD]

6 hours ago, Avio said:

is the LJDAM 54 guiding on continuously wireless feeding of coordinates from the ship, or is it following the laser spot

What Boeing does say about this:

"The weapon will guide itself to the target’s coordinates in terminal flight, using laser energy to correct those coordinates, creating a precise impact"

 

Source:

https://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/defense/weapons-weapons/images/laser_jadam_product_card.pdf

[jaylw314]

6 hours ago, Avio said:

Needing to clarify -- when a moving target is continuously lased, is the LJDAM 54 guiding on continuously wireless feeding of coordinates from the ship, or is it following the laser spot like any other GBU? If guiding on coordinates, I assume if lasing a stationery target and I may break lock and turn tail after firing?

 

If it's a stationary target that is not at the programmed coordinates, you can lase briefly, then stop lasing and/or turn away MAYBE.  The GBU-54 does not immediately nose down if it's conserving energy, so it may not be able to see the ground depending on the altitude.  So lasing briefly then running only works if the area is within the GBU-54's FOV, and you don't really know when that will happen.

[bfr]

My experience was that it'll follow the laser like an LGB if its on, which was awkward as i'd forgot I was carrying them (had a mix of standard JDAMs and LJDAMs) and had already slewed the pod post-drop to line up another target and the LJDAMs ended up going where I was pointing.  With laser off they seem to behave like any other JDAM.

What i'm not sure about is if the laser breaks lock/switches off mid-attack whether it continues like a standard LGB on its current trajectory or if it tries to fall back to striking the GPS coordinates. One to try out I guess.

[hotrod525]

new question :

Can you set up grid, drop, lase somewhere else and then stop lasing after few seconds if the LJDAM will go to where the laser was or where the gid was set.

[Rainmaker]

IIRC, yes, once it sees the new spot, that now becomes the new target.  If you cease the lase, it continues to that same spot.  Don’t take that as gospel, but that’s how I remember it.  The bomb necessarily always see the new spot though as it has ai seek FOV you need to abide by.