JSOW-A: Not confetti…
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DID has covered the USA’s AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) precision glide-bomb before, and it has proven popular with foreign buyers as well. Indeed, the program has gone so well that the U.S. Department of Defense presented Raytheon’s JSOW program with its highest acquisition honor in November 2005. The David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award is given to civilian and military organizations that have made highly significant contributions or demonstrated exemplary innovations and best practices in the defense acquisition process.

Beginning in FY 2006 (i.e. this year), JSOWs will be manufactured in the Block II configuration. Block II will maintain all standoff and survivability capability of the current JSOW. It will also cost less. DID details the JSOW weapon and budgets, program success, and some future variants….

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JSOW is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons that employ an integrated Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation (GPS/INS) system for guidance. The modular weapon body is capable of carrying various payloads. Unlike Lockheed’s JASSM which shares its weapons interface, JSOW are unpowered. This really makes them GPS-guided glide bombs with a range of 15-70 nautical miles (up to 80 miles/ 130km), which is outside the range of most short and medium range air defenses.

Raytheon is under contract with U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, and delivered the first JSOW Block II on May 31, 2007. These weapons use the same base platform as earlier JSOWs, but add an improved Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Raptor anti-jam Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. Raptor GPS integrates the Raytheon Advanced Protection Technology Receiver and Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module into the guidance system, and is planned for use in other Raytheon products.

Despite its improved performance, JSOW Block II will educe the weapon’s unit cost by 25% or more. Raytheon achieved this goal by redesigning the “airframe” to a major single piece, using less expensive components, employing advanced technology and reducing the overall number of parts. JSOW’s shelf life has also been significantly increased, eliminating major life-cycle costs. Estimates place the Navy’s savings at $133.5 million in future year defense purchases, plus an additional $421 million over the weapon’s life-cycle.

AGM-154 JSOW

JSOW Block II weapons can be either JSOW-As or JSOW-Cs. Most JSOW production going forward will be the Block II version.

The AGM-154A (also called JSOW-A) variant dispenses BLU-97 combined-effect bomblets for use against soft and area targets. It has been produced for use on the F/A-18 Hornet family, F-16 Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, B-1 Lancer bomber, B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, and is a one of the weapons defined for the F-35 (JSF) Lightining II’s initial operational capability.

Raytheon is also offering a new payload option for the JSOW-A that will use a unitary 500-pound BLU-111 (MK-82) warhead in place of the present cluster bombs; it is designated the AGM-154A-1. This unitary variant will eliminate the unexploded ordnance concerns of cluster munitions, and is primarily intended for the international market.

The AGM-154C, or JSOW-C, variant adds an imaging infrared seeker for last-stage high precision, plus a Broach multi-stage warhead that has both blast-fragmentation and hard target penetration capability. JSOW-C is in full rate production and achieved initial operation capability in February 2005 with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. It is currently being produced for US Navy F/A-18s and has been selected by Greece, Poland and Turkey for use on their F-16s; and by Singapore for use on its new F-15SG Strike Eagles.

JSOW Block III, otherwise known as the AGM-154C-1, would add moving target capability for land and sea targets via a 2-way weapons data link. This ensures that targeting can be received, and missile health, status and position can be transmitted back, right up to the time of impact. This ensures that targeting commands can be received, and missile health, status and position transmitted back, right up to the time of impact. That option is currently found only at the high end of the cruise missile market, giving the AGM-154C-1 an interesting positioning as a cheaper short-range alternative. The JSOW Block III is scheduled for production in 2009.

Other JSOW developments in the works include the JSOW-ER, which becomes a true missile by adding a flush inlet and a Hamilton Sundstrand 150-pound thrust engine. Based on the AGM-154C-1, the goal is to offer a JSOW with a range of up to 300 nautical miles/ 345 miles/ 575 km, at a price goal of $350,000. Continued prototype design and testing will continue in 2007, and a free flight is planned in 2008, with the potential for JSOW-ER production in 2011.

The Pentagon budgeted $158.4 million for the JSOW program in FY 2006. its FY 2007 budget request was $151.5 million ($127.4 million for 390 weapons, $27.4 million R&D), and the FY 2008 request is $156.2 million ($131.3 million for 421 JSOW-Cs, $24.9 million RDTE for JSOW-ER and JSOW Block III). All of this production is going to the US Navy, as The US Air Force terminated their JSOW orders in FY 2005, favoring other weapons instead.

Additional Readings & Sources

• DID (March 12/07) – US Issues JSOW Block III Development Contract

• Raytheon (Feb 20/07) – Raytheon Demonstrates Engine for Powered Joint Standoff Weapon Extended Range. Includes details of the new Block III/ AGM-154C-1, as well as the JSOW-ER powered version designed to offer 300 mile range for $350,000.

• Raytheon (Feb 22/06) – Raytheon’s JSOW Program Receives Top Department of Defense Acquisition Award,

• all DID coverage of the JSOW.