AGM- 154 JOINT STANDOFF WEAPON (JSOW) BRIEFING: The AGM- 154 JSOW precision strike weapon is a 1,000-pound air-to-surface missile that carries several lethal packages. The standoff range of 12 to approximately 70 nautical miles allows JSOW to remain outside the threat envelopes of enemy point defenses while effectively engaging and destroying targets. JSOW is integrated on the F/A-18C/D/E/F, F- 16, F-15E, B- 52, B-1B and B- 2 aircraft. Integration is under way on the F- 35 Lightning II.
The JSOW family consists of multiple weapon variants. The AGM-154A configuration is used to attack soft targets. A modified version, the AGM-154A- 1, includes a BLU- 111 warhead. The AGM-154A was employed by Navy F/A-18s against targets in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. More than 400 AGM- 154As have been used in combat.
The AGM-154C variant incorporates a 500-pound broach blast/fragmentation/penetrator warhead effective against fixed-point targets. This variant uses an uncooled, long-wave imaging IR seeker with autonomous target acquisition for precise targeting. The latest variant, the JSOW C- 1, is the Navy’s first air-to-ground network-enabled weapon capable of attacking stationary land and moving maritime targets. It retains the GPS/INS guidance, terminal IR seeker, payload and standoff of JSOW-C while incorporating a Link 16 weapon data link and moving maritime target algorithms. The JSOW C- 1 achieved IOC in June 2016.
BRIEFING: JDAM is a GPS-aided INS guidance kit. When paired with general purpose or penetrator bomb bodies, it converts the unguided free-fall bombs into precision-guided “smart” munitions. JDAM improves the accuracy of unguided bombs in any weather condition. It can be employed from every Navy and Marine Corps fighter-attack aircraft.
There currently are five JDAM configurations: GBU- 31 with a 2,000-pound MK84 or BLU- 117 blast-fragmentation warhead; GBU- 31 with a 2,000-pound BLU- 109 hard-target penetration warhead; GBU- 32 with a 1,000-pound MK83 or BLU- 110 blast-fragmentation warhead; GBU- 38 with a 500-pound MK82, BLU- 111 blast-fragmentation warhead or BLU- 126 low-collateral-damage warhead; and the Laser JDAM (GBU- 54) that incorporates a Precision Laser Guidance Set (PLGS) with a 500-pound MK82, BLU- 111 blast-fragmentation warhead or BLU- 126 low-collateral-damage warhead.
Aircraft employing integrated JDAM weapons are capable of prosecuting ground targets with great accuracy. JDAM utilizes INS and GPS equipment combined with a proportional navigation control system for guidance. Target coordinates can be loaded into the aircraft before takeoff, manually after takeoff and automatically through target designation with onboard sensors. This information is passed from the aircraft to the weapon during prelaunch transfer alignment.
JDAM can be launched from very low to very high altitudes in a dive, toss or loft and in straight and level flight with an on-axis or off-axis delivery. JDAM enables multiple weapons to be directed against single or multiple targets on a single pass. Once released, the JDAM navigates to the target autonomously. In its most accurate mode, when GPS data is available, the JDAM system will have an area of error of less than 5 meters (about 17 feet).
GBU- 54 Laser JDAM significantly enhances operational flexibility by adding a field-installed Semi-Active Laser to the standard JDAM configuration. Laser JDAM retains JDAM’s capability to engage fixed targets in any weather condition, while adding a clear-weather capability to engage fast-moving and maneuvering targets.
JDAM and Laser JDAM are integrated with B-1B, B-2A, B-52H, AV-8B, A- 10, F-15E, F/A-18A+/C/D/E/F, F-16C/D and F-22A aircraft. Follow-on integration efforts are under way to evaluate compatibility with the F-35A/B/C and MQ- 9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle. Additionally, the Navy is on track to deliver a GBU- 56, 2,000-pound JDAM penetrator with PLGS, to the fleet in 2020.