Home > AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon

1 AGM-154A Joint Standoff Weapon [JSOW]

1.1 Briefly

The Joint Standoff Weapon ("JSOW") is a joint venture of the United States Navy and Air Force to deploy a standardized medium range precision guided weapon, especially for engagement of defended targets at ranges outside that of standard anti-aircraft defenses, thereby increasing aircraft surviability and minimizing friendly losses. The JSOW comes in three variants, A, B, and C, designed for use against area targets, light-to-medium armoured targets, and point targets, respectively.

1.2 General Characteristics

• Primary Function: Air-to-surface Standoff from Point Defense (SOPD) weapon *for use against a variety of targets.
• Contractor: Raytheon Co.
• Guidance: GPS/ INS (Global Position/Inertial), Terminal IR Seeker (AGM-154C *unique)
• Length: 160 inches (4.1 m)
• Diameter: box shaped 13 inches (330 mm) on a side
• Weight: From 1,065 pounds (483 kg) to 1,500 pounds (681 kg)
• Wingspan: 106 inches (2.69 m)
• Aircraft Compatibility:
  • Navy: F/A-18 C/D, F/A-18 E/F, AV-8B, F-35
  • Air Force: F-16 Block 40/50, B-1, B-2, B-52B-52 Stratofortress Description RoleHeavy bomber, missile platform Crew5aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer Dimensions Length159 ft 4 in48. 5 m Wingspan185 ft56. 4 m Height40 ft 8 in12. 4 m Wing area4,000 f, F-15, F-117, A-10, F-35A
• Range:
  • Low altitude launch - 15 nautical miles (28 km)
  • High altitude launch - 65 nautical miles (120 km)
• Warhead(s):
  • BLU-97 - Combined effects bomblets
  • BLU-108 - Sensor fused weapon
  • Broach multi-stage warhead
• Unit Cost:
  • AUPP AGM-154A, $148,000
  • AGM-154C, $198,000, based on PB04, BY$(1990)
• Date Deployed: January 1999

(Data in the previous section is from the USN Fact File)

1.3 Development Information

The AGM-154A Joint Standoff Weapon or JSOW is currently under development by Raytheon (a.k.a Texas InstrumentsTexas Instruments better known in the electronics industry as TI is a company based in Dallas, Texas, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology. History of Texas Instruments Texas Instruments was founded by Cecil H.) for the Air Force and the Navy. The AGM-154A 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 (450 kg) class, provides standoff capabilities from 15 nautical miles (28 km) low altitude launch to 40 nautical miles (74 km) 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 Systemsatellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. The Global Positioning System usually called GPS (the US military refers to it as NAVSTAR , is a satellite navigation system used for determining one's precise location and providing a highly (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 160 inches (4.1 m) in length and weighs between 1000 and 1500 pounds (483 and 681 kg). 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.