A Naval Air Systems Command Navy Test Team and its industry partner Raytheon Company marked another important milestone for the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) program this week. The flight test team successfully completed a second free-flight demonstration of the JSOW Unitary warhead variant using waypoint navigation and autonomous target acquisition capability in the AGM-154C. An F/A-18 C/D pilot, released the AGM-154C while flying at 29,000 feet and 0.9 Mach over the NAVAIR western test range complex. The weapon then navigated autonomously through several enroute waypoints to begin searching for the target approximately 32 miles from the launch point. Aircraft separation, flyout navigation followed by target acquisition and subsequent impact was completed as predicted.

This free flight demonstrates the ATA capability against a dual height, multiple level target. "The collaborative efforts of the Government and Private Industry are paramount to the success of this test. The Fleet continues to support the JSOW family of weapons, and the Acquisition Community is looking at ways to accelerate deliveries," said the JSOW Program Manager.

"The successful completion of this flight is a tribute to this Government/Industry Test Team. The teamwork and cooperation displayed by Raytheon, the NAVAIR program office, the Test Team at Point Mugu and the Range Control Team at China Lake brought this success exactly as predicted," said Wade Smith, Raytheon JSOW Program Director.

The AGM-154C incorporates a Raytheon-developed uncooled, long-wave infrared seeker with Autonomous Target Acquisition (ATA) algorithms, thus providing the Navy with a launch-and-leave weapon with standoff precision strike capability. The AGM-154C also will be the first U.S. weapon to incorporate the Broach penetration multiple warhead, developed by the United Kingdom's BAE. The all-up-round Broach configured testing will be conducted later in 2002.

The Joint Standoff Weapon is a low-cost, family of glide weapons using a common delivery vehicle for three different payloads. The JSOW-A is in production and delivers the BLU-97 Combined Effects Bomblets for area targets. It has been used successfully in Iraq and Kosovo. The JSOW-B variant carries the BLU-108 Sensor Fused Weapon bomblets for an anti-armor capability and is in low rate production. The JSOW-A and B versions are being produced for the U.S. Navy and Air Force for use on the F/A-18, F-16, F-15, B-1, B-2 and B-52 aircraft. The latest version, the JSOW-C, is in development and is planning for Low Rate Initial Production decision in the fall. The JSOW-C is planned for use on Navy and Air Force launch platforms.