Forum: F-16 Armament & Stores

In a previous post some time back I questioned the practical use of this weapon... it's high cost and actual usefulness vs. something like a JDAM with a Diamondback wing on it or some other similar tech.

I am kind of changing my tune now. Laughing

Price has come down on it some. According to the company spec sheet we have used over 400 of these in combat. Surprised

$$$$

An idea I had was that maybe we need a separate page for this weapon on the armament page of the website. Polish F-16s will get this weapon and we have it too... etc... I have some ( obviously public consumption only-press releases news clipings etc. ) questions for the munition specialists and ops people:

-What if any U.S. F-16 units have used this weapon in combat?

-What U.S. F-16 units put this weapon on their training schedule?

-The C model ( Broche warhead and Imaging Infared terminal seeker ) has been purchased... have any U.S. F-16 units been spun up to train with this version?

-Is the A-1 varient ( putting in a BLU-111 instead of a dumb bomblet pack ) really for FMS service only or will the U.S. use this too? ( would seem cheaper than a C model when you don't need the exacting C model talent )

-Is this an easy weapon for the munitions specialists? Storage... prep for use etc....?

Anything else public consumption that seems fun.

Quick review...

JSOW A - GPS/INS guided. Dumb bomblets used by USN in OSW for SEAD/DEAD work. Sucessful... also one funny OSW event where a bunch of them were released and almost everyone missed it's target. ( software glitch fixed later ) Has had good success since.

JSOW B - GPS/INS guided. The super duper smart submunition BLU-108b. SFW ( Sensor Fused Weapon ). Tested but not purchased by the services.

JSOW C - 500lb Broach Warhead that can do penetration or just regular strike. GPS/INS guided....Imaging Infared nose for terminal phase. Company spec sheet claims 4 ft. accuracy in tests. Shocked

JSOW A-1 - Like the A above except a BLU-111 (500lb dumb iron) is swapped out for the dumb bomblets. FMS costomers only?

Where I see this weapon as being more interesting now...

Claimed reduced cost
Low observable
Unpowered=low infared signature
Reasonable stand-off at a lower price than a cruise missile.
Helps legacy aircraft because of stand-off
Stand-off will help the Buick of Stealth JSF deal with high threat ground to air threats. Two JSOWS fit inside JSF A and C ( unknown for internal on B after the weight saving event).

Any comments would be appreciated. Especailly if anything I wrote was wrong.

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elp wrote:

What if any U.S. F-16 units have used this weapon in combat?

What U.S. F-16 units put this weapon on their training schedule?

The AF left the project sometime back. The only combat deployments have come from the USN. Too bad the AF pulled out. Looks like it can pack a heavy punch.

All currently fielded USAF F-16 OFPs support JSOW A & B, but USAF doesn't seem to like either of them. JSOW B originally represented the USAF part of the "Joint" Standoff Weapon, but they cancelled it soon after USN pulled their support for the weapon. (Both services lost interest after the low-cost redesign led to multiple problems and a less robust weapon.) USAF went to a lot of time and expense to improve targeting of ground-based emitters, then walked away from the weapons (JSOW A & B, WCMD-ER, HDAM) that would take advantage of the improved targeting.

USAF has JASSM, so JSOW C and A-1 don't have a big enough niche to make them attractive. (They may cost less, but not less than maintaining multiple weapons for the same role. JASSM can do everything JSOW can do from further away.) FMS countries like JSOW A-1 and C since they can't get JASSM and SLAM ER is very expensive.

The BROACH warhead on JSOW C is a two-stage warhead. Coupled with the ATA capabilities of the IIR seeker, that makes the JSOW C rather expensive and specialized. It wouldn't be used on targets of opportunity, instead being a mission-planned weapon of choice while the JSOW A-1 would be more of a general-purpose weapon.

JSOW was very interesting when it was first conceived: a generic airframe that could be fitted with specialized payloads (submunitions, carbon fibers, unitary warheads, EW screamers, kinetic energy rods, even supplies for the snake eaters) as needed. As time went on, unfortunately, requirements creep forced it into the specialized forms we now see.

Loomis wrote:

All currently fielded USAF F-16 OFPs support JSOW A & B, but USAF doesn't seem to like either of them. JSOW B originally represented the USAF part of the "Joint" Standoff Weapon, but they cancelled it soon after USN pulled their support for the weapon. (Both services lost interest after the low-cost redesign led to multiple problems and a less robust weapon.) USAF went to a lot of time and expense to improve targeting of ground-based emitters, then walked away from the weapons (JSOW A & B, WCMD-ER, HDAM) that would take advantage of the improved targeting.

USAF has JASSM, so JSOW C and A-1 don't have a big enough niche to make them attractive. (They may cost less, but not less than maintaining multiple weapons for the same role. JASSM can do everything JSOW can do from further away.) FMS countries like JSOW A-1 and C since they can't get JASSM and SLAM ER is very expensive.

The BROACH warhead on JSOW C is a two-stage warhead. Coupled with the ATA capabilities of the IIR seeker, that makes the JSOW C rather expensive and specialized. It wouldn't be used on targets of opportunity, instead being a mission-planned weapon of choice while the JSOW A-1 would be more of a general-purpose weapon.

JSOW was very interesting when it was first conceived: a generic airframe that could be fitted with specialized payloads (submunitions, carbon fibers, unitary warheads, EW screamers, kinetic energy rods, even supplies for the snake eaters) as needed. As time went on, unfortunately, requirements creep forced it into the specialized forms we now see.

Thanks Loomis.

With JSF coming up... and even though it will get SDB.... do you think ( of course if funding were to be available Laughing

) JSOW would ever become more interesting to USAF being that it is at least something bigger standoffish that can fit inside?

One of the problems with JSOW is that the current non-dispenser versions have too much competition in weapons that are already being purchased by USAF. The dispenser versions are out of production, so inventory can't be replaced.

As you imply, one advantage is that it can be carried internally. The relatively long flyout of the JSOW means that it doesn't need to acquire GPS on the wing, so there would be no pressing need to port GPS into the bomb bay. Internal carriage also cuts down on the radar cross-section (until the doors open, of course), so that's also a plus. To be truthful, I really don't know enough about JSF to speculate. (As for the weight of my opinions, I thought the iPod would never catch on.)

Loomis wrote:

(As for the weight of my opinions, I thought the iPod would never catch on.)

Interesting tidbit in 29 January 2007 Aviation Week on JSOW (see article "Little Bang", pg. 38

Quote:

The Navy is also adding two-way datalinks made by Rockwell-Collins to the Joint Standoff Weapon... The modified JSOW will be designated the C1. Raytheon, the JSOW developer, is beginning work on the added data link, as well as improvements to the guidance electronics unit. Together the upgrades will produce a more accurate weapon that's able to refine targeting, depending on the source of the targeting data. Each sensor in the Pentagon's network has inherent flaws, and the new software for JSOW is expected to compensate for those known deviations.

It is a simplistic but phenomenal step forward in increased accuracies (PMA-201's Capt. Mat) Winter says.

Rocky

Tests for the engine for the powered version of JSOW should a customer want it someday.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro ... b+20,+2007

Rocky_LC wrote:

Interesting tidbit in 29 January 2007 Aviation Week on JSOW (see article "Little Bang", pg. 38

Quote:

It is a simplistic but phenomenal step forward in increased accuracies (PMA-201's Capt. Mat) Winter says.

Rocky

Then-LCDR Mat Winter was a classmate of mine at DSMC...I wondered where he ended up.

Note also on page 42 of the Sep 06 F-35 status brief. One would think the additional JSOW ability mentioned below should change the internal carry for F-35 ASUW capability from yellow to green. EP
---------------------------------------------

New Raytheon-Built Joint Standoff Weapon Will Hit Moving Maritime Targets
Posted : Thu, 24 May 2007 14:04:00 GMT
Raytheon Company

TUCSON, Ariz., May 24, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company has received a $93.7 million Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) contract to develop the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) AGM-154C1 (formerly JSOW Block III). The new JSOW variant -- scheduled to be produced in 2009 -- will provide U.S. Navy warfighters with a capability against moving maritime targets. "This contract award represents a major step forward in providing the Navy fleet pilots with much-needed capability against moving ship targets," said John O'Brien, Raytheon's JSOW program director. "The results of detailed trade studies performed by the NAVAIR-Raytheon team enabled Raytheon to develop an initial architecture and initial mission effectiveness assessments for this new JSOW variant. The studies were critical to the new seeker design, seeker software algorithm development and data link selection."

The AGM-154C1 builds upon the JSOW Block II weapon by adding a weapons data link to receive in-flight target updates from the F/A-18E/F aircraft. The new JSOW variant includes updated seeker algorithms designed to hit moving targets. Significant work on the seeker algorithms have been completed on Raytheon internal research and development funding in 2005 and 2006.

AGM-154C1 will maintain all standoff, survivability capability and improved anti-jam capability inherent in the current JSOW weapon. The AGM- 154C1 variant will maintain JSOW's low radar cross section and infrared signature. These are key stealth features, which ensure a high probability of JSOW survival en route to highly defended targets.

Earlier this year, Raytheon competitively awarded a subcontract to Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the development and qualification of a dual waveform (UHF and Link 16) weapon data link called Strike Link. The Raytheon team plans to use this data link in several weapons and, with the assistance of the NAVAIR team, will be the supplier of the Harpoon Block III data link.

"The Strike Link data link is an excellent example of how Raytheon is meeting NAVAIR's challenge to collaborate across multiple weapons in order to achieve an affordable and effective solution. The cost reduction culture is a key element of the Team JSOW philosophy, which enables the Navy to provide more weapons to the fleet with the required capability," said Captain Mat Winter, U.S. Navy JSOW program manager.

The NAVAIR-Raytheon team is working to maintain the culture of continuous cost reduction successfully implemented in the JSOW Block II program.

JSOW is a joint Navy and Air Force program. It is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS/Inertial Navigation System that guides the weapon to the target. The JSOW uses a common and modular weapon body capable of carrying various payloads. Its long standoff range, up to 70 nautical miles (approximately 80.5 statute miles), allows delivery from well outside the lethal range of most enemy air defenses.

Raytheon Company, with 2006 sales of $20.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 85 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

Contact: Jon Allen 520.794.8580

Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Jon Allen of Raytheon Company, +1-520-794-8580Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/