AGM-154A Joint Standoff Weapon [JSOW]
The AGM-154A Joint Standoff Weapon or JSOW is currently under
development by Raytheon [Texas Instruments] for the Air Force and
the Navy. The AGM-154A (Formerly Advanced Interdiction Weapon
System) is intended to provide a low cost, highly lethal glide
weapon with a standoff capability. JSOW family of kinematically
efficient, air-to-surface glide weapons, in the 1,000-lb class,
provides standoff capabilities from 15 nautical miles (low altitude
launch) to 40 nautical miles (high altitude launch). The JSOW will
be used against a variety of land and sea targets and will operate
from ranges outside enemy point defenses. The JSOW is a launch and
leave weapon that employs a tightly coupled Global Positioning
System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS), and is capable of
day/night and adverse weather operations. The JSOW uses inertial
and global positioning system for midcourse navigation and imaging
infra-red and datalink for terminal homing.
The JSOW is just over 13 feet in length and weighs between
1000-1500 pounds. Extra flexibility has been engineered into the
AGM-154A by its modular design, which allows several different
submunitions, unitary warheads, or non-lethal payloads to be
carried. The JSOW will be delivered in three variants, each of
which uses a common air vehicle, or truck, while substituting
various payloads.
AGM-154A (Baseline JSOW)The warhead of the AGM-154A consists of 145
BLU-97/B submunitions. Each bomblet is designed for multi-target in
one payload. The bomblets have a shaped charge for armor defeat
capability, a fragmenting case for material destruction, and a
zirconium ring for incendiary effects.
AGM-154B (Anti-Armor) The warhead for the AGM-154B is the BLU-108/B
from the Air Force's Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) program. The JSOW
will carry six BLU-108/B submunitions. Each submunition releases
four projectiles (total of 24 per weapons) that use infrared
sensors to detect targets. Upon detection, the projectile
detonates, creating an explosively formed, shaped charge capable of
penetrating reinforced armor targets.
AGM-154C (Unitary Variant) The AGM-154C will use a combination of
an Imaging Infrared (IIR) terminal seeker and a two-way data link
to achieve point target accuracy through aimpoint refinement and
man-in-the-loop guidance. The AGM-154C will carry the BLU-111/B
variant of the MK-82, 500- pound general purpose bomb, equipped
with the FMU-152 Joint Programmable Fuze (JPF) and is designed to
attack point targets.
Texas Instruments (TI) Defense Systems & Electronics (DS&E)
began Engineering and Manufacturing Development (E&MD) of JSOW
in 1992. In December 1995, the Navy and Texas Instruments completed
Development Test IIB (DT-IIB) at the Naval Air Weapon Center,
(NAWC) China Lake and Point Mugu, California, with 10 for 11
successful flights of the AGM-154A BLU-97 dispenser variant.
On January 6, 1997, it was announced that Texas Instruments Defense
Systems & Electronics was being purchased by Raytheon Company,
Lexington, Massachusetts. The U.S. Navy began Operational
Evaluation (OPEVAL) testing in February 1997, after successful
development testing and initial operational testing programs. The
test program resulted in a 42 for 44 success rate or greater than
96% successful JSOW launches. The Air Force began Development Test
& Evaluation (DT&E) flight testing of JSOW on the F-16 at
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, in March 1996. Air Force testing of
the baseline JSOW was hindered by less than desired progress in the
area of F-16/JSOW integration. There was never a problem in the
interface between the weapon and the aircraft. The weapon worked
perfectly. The problem that prolonged the testing at Eglin, was
with a subassembly of the JSOW, which was not manufactured by Texas
Instruments.
AGM-154A (Baseline variant) system entered Low Rate Initial
Production (LRIP) on schedule. The $65.9 million LRIP contract was
awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), in Arlington,
Virginia, for 111 JSOW AGM-154A/baseline systems. LRIP for the
other two variants are scheduled for FY99 and FY00, respectively.
On 29 December 1998 Raytheon Systems was awarded a $133,881,355
firm-fixed-price contract to provide funding for the Full Rate
Production Lot 1 of JSOW AGM-154A and the Low Rate Initial
Production Lot I of the JSOW AGM-154B (AGM-154A: Navy - 328 and Air
Force - 75) (AGM-154B: Navy - 3 and Air Force - 21). Work is
expected to be completed by March 2001.
JSOW test articles were deployed in 1997 aboard the USS Nimitz and
are currently deployed on the USS Eisenhower. JSOW initial
introduction to the operational commands was on the Navy/Marine
Corps F/A-18 in mid-1998. As of late 1997 a number of remaining
JSOW test assets were on an interim deployment for further
operational evaluation. USS Carl Vinson 's air wing first employed
the JSOW during combat over southern Iraq on Jan. 25, 1999.
On 29 December 1999 Raytheon Systems Company, Tucson, Ariz., was
awarded a $109,573,867 modification to previously awarded contract
N00019-99-C-1014 to exercise an option for the full rate production
Lot 2 of the Joint Standoff Weapon AGM-154A for the U.S. Navy (414)
and U.S. Air Force (74). Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz.,
and was expected to be completed by March 2002.
On 23 June 2000 Raytheon was awarded a $5,069,914 modification to
previously awarded cost plus incentive fee basic ordering agreement
N00019-98-G-0104 for the integration of the Selective Availability
Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) into the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
System. This effort will bring new production JSOWs delivered after
1 April 2003 in compliance with current Global Positioning System
(GPS) security requirements for weapon-based GPS. Work will be
performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by May
2001.
Weapon planning will be accomplished using the Navy's Tactical
Automated Mission Planning System (TAMPS) and the Air Force Mission
Support System (AFMSS). Aircraft-to-weapon communications will be
via the MIL-STD-1760 interface, making inflight
programming/targeting possible, as well as preflight data loading.
The weapon will be deployed from both carrier- and land-based
aircraft, employing insensitive munitions technology. The JSOW will
be employed on the following aircraft: F/A-18A/B, C/D, and E/F;
AV-8B; F-14A/B and /D; F-16C/D; F-15E; F-117; B-1B; and B-52.
