AGM-154 JSOW weapon

The US Navy has awarded a contract to Raytheon to procure 200 full-rate production Lot 9 AGM-154C-1 unitary joint stand-off weapon missiles (JSOW) C-1.

The $80m firm-fixed-price contract will provide for one AGM-154C-1 for performance characterisation tests and includes associated support equipment.

Raytheon Missile Systems JSOW programme director Celeste Mohr said: "JSOW C-1 enables the warfighter to precisely engage targets well beyond most enemy air defenses, thus limiting the threat of adversarial forces."

Offering forces with improved effectiveness at sea, the JSOW family of low-cost air-to-ground medium-range, precision-guided glide weapons features an integrated GPS-inertial navigation system and terminal imaging infrared seeker to guide the weapon to the target.

Raytheon Missile Systems Air Warfare Systems vice-president Harry Schulte said: "With more than 400 JSOW A’s employed in combat, this weapon has stood the tests of time."

"With more than 400 JSOW A’s employed in combat, this weapon has stood the tests of time."

The all-weather, day or night, launch-and-leave JSOW C-1 variant provides upgraded capabilities to strike moving maritime targets, while the datalink allows the aircraft to relay targeting information to the weapon.

Increasing anti-surface warfare mission capabilities, the JSOW C-1 will enable fleet forces to engage moving maritime targets and provide robust capabilities against stationary land targets.

The JSOW C-1 will be installed on the F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft to provide an advanced anti-surface warfare solution.

Due to be complete in July 2015, work under the contract will be conducted at the company’s facilities in Texas, Iowa, Arizona, and Oklahoma, while the deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2014.

The US Naval Air Systems Command will serve as the contracting activity.


Image: An F-16C aircraft launches an AGM-154 JSOW weapon. Photo: courtesy of US Air Force, MSgt Michael Ammons.

Defence Technology