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AGM-154 JSOW



JSOWs on an F/A-18

ORIGIN: (Real World)
United States of America

GAMES FEATURED IN:
Ace Combat 05: The Unsung War
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
Ace Combat 06: Fires of Liberation

COMPATIBLE AIRCRAFT:
F/A-18F Super Hornet, F-22A Raptor, FB-22 Raptor Concept, F-35C Lightning II

OVERVIEW:
The AGM-154 JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon) is a modular precision-attack glide bomb, which is included in this missile directory because of its guided missile designation (future versions of JSOW will possibly be powered, though).

In 1986, the U.S. Navy started the AIWS (Advanced Interdiction Weapon System) program to develop a new precision guided short-range standoff attack weapon to replace laser guided weapons like the Paveway series guided bombs, the AGM-123 Skipper II and the AGM-65E Maverick. The primary development goal was a pure fire-and-forget weapon without any post-launch target designation, like a laser designator or a command data link. The AIWS competition was won by Texas Instruments (now Raytheon), who received a contract for the AGM-154A weapon in June 1992. In the same year, the AIWS program was combined with Air Force standoff weapons programs and renamed JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon). The JSOW requirements called for a low-cost, light-weight weapon with at least 9 km (5 nm) range for low-altitude launches. A lock-on after launch (LOAL) capability was also desired, so that the launching aircraft would not have to put itself into line-of-sight from the target. Another requirement was "quiet launch" capability, i.e. the propulsion system (in any) was to be activated only some time after the release. Because the JSOW was to be used against different kinds of targets, a modular warhead section for cluster and unitary warheads was also required. As a solution to these requirements, Texas Instruments designed a GPS/INS guided unpowered glide bomb. The first guided drop of an AGM-154A occurred In December 1994, and in February 1997 operational evaluation by the U.S. Navy began. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) was reached in 1999, when full-scale production of the AGM-154A began.

The AGM-154A JSOW uses flip-out wings and four cruciform (plus two small horizontal) tail fins for flight control. The glide range is 28 km (15 nm) for low-altitude and up to 74 km (40 nm) for high-altitude launches. Accuracy of the GPS/INS guidance system is better than 3 m (10 ft) CEP. As a warhead, the AGM-154A variant uses a cluster bomb dispenser with 145 BLU-97/B CEM (Combined Effects Munition) bomblets (1.54 kg (3.4 lb) each) for use against soft targets. The DATM-154A is a completely inert shape for JSOW ground handling training.

The warhead section of the AGM-154B carries 6 BLU-108/B SFM (Sensor Fuzed Munition) dispensers, each of which can release four "Skeet" terminally guided anti-tank submunitions. Development of the AGM-154B lagged slightly behind that of the AGM-154A, and operational testing was not completed before 2001. IOC was planned for late 2002, but the weapon has now been cancelled. The USAF pulled out of the AGM-154B program because it selected a winged derivative of the CBU-105/B WCMD (Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser) as its future standoff anti-amour weapon (the CBU-105/B can carry ten BLU-108/B compared to JSOW's six), and the Navy couldn't afford to fund the AGM-154B on its own.

Specifications
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 (unique to 'C' model)
Length: 160 inches (4.1 m)
Diameter: box shaped 13 inches (330 mm) on a side / other source 40.6 x 51.9cm
Weight: From 1,065 pounds (483 kg) to 1,095 pounds (497 kg) Wingspan: 106 inches (2.69 m)
Warhead(s):
* BLU-97/B - Combined Effects Bomblets (JSOW A)
* BLU-108 - Sensor fused weapon (JSOW B - now canceled)
* BROACH multi-stage warhead (JSOW C)

Sources:
Strategic-Air-Command.com
Wikipedia[/font]

*Original Article by Galm 3*