Which 500-pound JDAM variant uses GPS/INS guidance and has a carbon fiber body but does not include a laser kit?

• A. GBU-38v5
• B. GBU-54v5
• C. GBU-39 A/B
• D. AGR-20

Answer: (A)

500-pound JDAMs are guided by GPS/INS, and some later versions use a carbon-fiber body to reduce weight and improve performance. If a 500-lb JDAM has a carbon-fiber body but does not include a laser kit, it is operating in GPS/INS-only mode. The GBU-38 in the v5 configuration fits exactly: it uses GPS/INS guidance, has the carbon-fiber body, and does not carry a laser designation kit. The laser-guided variant (GBU-54) includes a laser kit, so it wouldn’t match the no-laser description, and other bombs in this weight class either don’t have the carbon-fiber body or aren’t 500 pounds in the same JDAM family.