|
|
|
Raytheon AGM-154 JSOW |
|
|
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) tailfins 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-armour 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.
The AGM-154C (developed for the Navy only) uses a "BROACH"
multi-stage penetrator warhead, developed by BAE Systems. It also
features an IIR seeker and ATA (Autonomous Target Acquisition)
technology (similar to that of the AGM-84K SLAM-ER). The ATA feature allows the missile to find the
target without intervention of an operator, because the internal logic
compares the IIR seeker's image with preset reference images. ATA made
it possible to drop the two-way data link which was originally planned
for the AGM-154C. Operational testing for the AGM-154C is currently
scheduled for early 2003, with Initial Operational Capability planned
for late 2003.
JSOW can currently be used by the F-16, F/A-18 and B-2
aircraft, with the B-52, B-1, and F-15E planned to follow. More than
100 AGM-154As were already used in combat, including Operation Allied
Force in Kosovo and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The
original total requirement for the USAF and U.S. Navy was for more
than 20000 JSOW missiles of all variants, but this will most
likely be reduced after cancellation of the AGM-154B.
A JSOW variant powered by a tail-mounted Williams WJ24-8
(J400-WR-104) turbojet was tested in 1995 as a contender in the UK's
CASOM (Conventionally Armed Standoff Missile) competition (which was
eventually won by another competitor). The range for high-altitude
launches was increased to about 220 km (120 nm). Although there seems
to be no immediate requirement by U.S. forces for a powered JSOW,
the designations AGM-154D and AGM-154E were allocated in
2000 to powered derivatives of the AGM-154A and AGM-154C,
respectively.
Specifications: |
| Length |
4.26 m (14 ft) |
| Wingspan |
2.69 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Width |
33.8 cm (13.3 in) |
| Weight |
483 kg (1065 lb) |
| Speed |
subsonic |
| Range |
74 km (40 nm) (for high-altitude launches) |
| Propulsion |
AGM-154A/B/C: none
AGM-154D/E: Williams J400-WR-104 turbojet; 1.07 kN (240 lb) |
| Warhead |
AGM-154A/D: 145 BLU-97/B submunitions
AGM-154B: 6 BLU-108/B submunitions
AGM-154C/E: "BROACH" penetrator warhead |
|
|
