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Product Type: |
Air-to-Surface Standoff from Outside |
Using Service (US): |
Navy and Air Force (USAF) |
Program Status: |
In Production |
Prime Contractor: |
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The Raytheon AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) and terminal imaging infrared seeker to guide the weapon to its target.
The weapon's standoff range of 12 to 63 nautical miles allows JSOW to remain outside the threat envelopes of enemy point defenses while effectively engaging and destroying targets.
The Joint Standoff Weapon provides a day, night, and adverse weather
environment munition capability, and consists of three variants. The AGM-154A JSOW baseline
(BLU-97) provides a day/night all-weather environment submunition for soft and area
targets. The AGM-154B JSOW anti-armor variant (BLU-108) contains precision-guided anti-armor
submunition warheads. The AGM-154C JSOW Unitary incorporates a dual-stage 500-pound class Broach
penetrating warhead with terminal accuracy via Automatic Target Acquisition Seeker
Technology.
A Network Enabled Weapon (NEW) moving maritime target capability is under development and will be incorporated in JSOW-C production units (AGM-154C-1 variant).
The AGM-154C-1 units will retain the basic AGM-154C capability against fixed targets on land.
The AGM-154C was approved for low rate initial production in
June 2003 and full rate production commenced in December 2004.
The Joint Standoff Weapon is fielded on the U.S. Navy's Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; and on the U.S. Air Force Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit, and B-52 Stratofortress. Also, the AGM-154 will be featured on the F-35 Lightning II (Joint Strike Fighter).
The JSOW is a primary standoff precision guided munition. The day/night, adverse weather capability provides continuous munitions operations from a survivable standoff range. The Air Force stopped purchasing the JSOW in FY 2005 in favor of other weapons.
Continues production and product improvements of the JSOW Unitary variant for the Navy only. FY 12 will purchase 246 weapons. The Navy's planned inventory is 7,000 JSOW AGM-154C AURs.
Continues production and product improvements of JSOW Unitary for the Navy only. FY 13 will purchase 280 weapons. For more information, click to see the Complete FY 2013 JSOW Budget.
Source: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Raytheon Company
Last Update: July 16, 2012.
By Joakim Kasper Oestergaard (www.kostergaard.com)
AGM-154 U.S. Defense Budget Charts: |
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Primary Function: Air-to-surface
Standoff from Outside Point Defenses (SOPD) weapon |
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