A comparison of new lightweight stand‑off cruise missiles with 1,000‑pound JDAMs shows the missiles cost roughly two to three times more but offer 30+ times the range. Their warhead weight is only a tenth of a JDAM’s (about 100 lb), which also reduces the impact on the fighter’s combat radius.
Despite the JDAM/ER’s superior destructive power and lower cost, its shorter range and the risk of damaging the aircraft during early attacks—when the defense network is still effective—highlight the need for longer‑range strike capability.
If heavy cruise missiles such as the JASSM are considered, the destructive power with a 1,000‑lb warhead is retained, but only four missiles can be carried compared to ten for the lighter type, and the cost is ten times higher than the lightweight cruise and 20–30 times higher than JDAMs, limiting their stockpile.