Article Posted on : - Apr 16, 2015

An F-16C Fighting Falcon releases an AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon over the Utah Test and Training Range. Photo: U.S. Air Force

TUCSON, ARIZONA (BNS): Raytheon Company and the U.S. Navy have successfully completed the final free flight in the integrated testing phase for the Joint Standoff Weapon C-1.

During the development test, JSOW C-1 demonstrated its effectiveness against moving maritime targets, a crucial capability against current and future surface warfare threats, Raytheon said.

The weapon is on track to start operational testing (OT) this spring and is slated for delivery to the fleet in 2016 after the successful completion of OT.

During the test, the aircrew executed a pre-launch handoff between two F/A-18E/F aircraft followed by the weapon's release at a distance of 35 nautical miles to the target.

The two Super Hornets again transferred control of the weapon, then sent a post-launch retargeting command to reroute the JSOW C-1 from the initial target ship to a higher priority target.

While en route to the target ship, the JSOW C-1 provided real time weapon in-flight track and bomb hit indication status messages back to the controlling aircraft via the link-16 network.

The multiple communication exchanges between the aircraft and the weapon were seamless and culminated in a successful engagement of a small maneuvering ship target, it said.

JSOW C-1 is designed to provide fleet forces with robust and flexible battlefield effects against high value targets at launch ranges of up to 70 nautical miles from both fourth and fifth generation fighters. F-35A/C integration is currently funded for JSOW C-1, with external integration on the F-35B scheduled in Block 4.

JSOW is a family of combat proven, low-cost air-to-ground weapons that employ an integrated GPS-inertial navigation system, with highly capable guidance algorithms; and is the only U.S. standoff weapon in production to fit internally in the Joint Strike Fighter.

The JSOW C-1 variant adds the two-way Strike Common Weapon Datalink enabling additional target sets with critical moving maritime target capability.