Rs 4,300 Crore Bomb Deal: Is The U.S. Fueling Israel’s Wars With Deadly JDAM Weapons? | World News

New Delhi: The deal has gone through. No delays. No denials. The United States has approved a $510 million arms package for Israel. The core of that deal is the Joint Direct Attack Munition, better known as JDAMs. These kits turn old-fashioned bombs into GPS-guided weapons – which are accurate, cheaper than missiles and deadlier than expected.

The timing has raised eyebrows. The war in Gaza has not ended. Civilian casualties are climbing. Rights groups are crying foul. Washington has gone ahead anyway.

So what exactly are JDAMs?

The idea is simple. Take a standard bomb. Add a GPS navigation system. Attach a tail kit that adjusts course mid-air. Suddenly, a crude explosive turns into a smart weapon.

The technology came from Boeing. It started in the 1990s. Today, it is a staple in American airstrikes.

JDAM kits work on multiple bomb types. The most common are 500-pound MK-82s and 2,000-pound BLU-109s. The bigger ones are built to smash bunkers. The smaller ones target vehicles, shelters and weapons caches.

Each kit costs $20,000 to $30,000. It is not cheap. But it is far cheaper than a missile. And almost as precise.

Israel will receive nearly 7,100 JDAM kits in this deal – 3,845 for BLU-109 bombs and 3,280 for MK-82s. Alongside that come logistics, tech support and assistance from Boeing and the U.S. government. Some will ship from current U.S. stockpiles.

But why now?

For Washington, it is about long-term strategy. U.S. officials say the goal is to strengthen Israel’s airstrike capability. To help it counter Iran and to maintain its military edge. The term often used in D.C. – Qualitative Military Edge (QME). This deal feeds that policy.

For Israel, this is fuel for future battles. The country’s air force relies heavily on precision weapons. JDAMs allow deep strikes without risking pilots. They are essential for campaigns in Gaza, Syria and possibly Lebanon.

And yes, Operation Iron Swords. The war that began after Hamas’s 7 October attack. Since then, Israel has received over $17.9 billion in U.S. military aid. This deal is part of that wave.

But here is where it gets messy.

Amnesty International and other rights organizations say JDAMs have hit civilian buildings. They cite strikes in Gaza from 2023 – two attacks alone killed 43 civilians, they claim. The bombs were U.S.-made. The kits were American. The targets, they argue, were not military.

This has started a debate in the Congress. Some Democratic lawmakers are pushing back. They want more oversight and more restrictions. But resistance to Israel aid in the Congress is still low.

Republicans, especially President Donald Trump allies, support the deal. They have also reversed some of former President Joe Biden’s conditions on weapons sales. Under Trump, there are fewer checks, fewer delays and faster deliveries.

Still, these JDAMs will not arrive tomorrow. Production takes time. Some deliveries may not start before 2026. This is not about today’s war. This is about the next one.

And that is what makes this deal different.

It is not immediate. It is not reactionary. It is deliberate, long-term and strategic.

Israel now has more tools to hit deeper, strike faster and face Iran if tensions boil. But the risk? Higher civilian tolls. More pressure on hospitals and more scrutiny from the world.

In the end, it is one deal. But the shockwaves will not stop at the warehouse door. This will echo through Gaza through Tehran, through Washington and maybe, through history.