Raytheon’s Joint Standoff Weapon integrated into Navy’s F-35

Raytheon’s Joint Standoff Weapon integrated into the Navy’s F-35
09 Apr 2018 David B. Larter

"NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Raytheon is set to announce that its Joint Standoff Weapon’s C variant has been successfully integrated into the internal weapons bay of the Navy variant of the F-35. A recent test of the JSOW C demonstrated that the weapon could be toted inside the F-35C and deploy seamlessly. The weapon will move directly into an operational test, a step before being declared ready for use in combat, said Mark Borup, with Raytheon’s Missile Systems division.

The weapon was integrated with the F/A-18 Super Hornet and achieved operational status in June of 2016. Because of the existing test data on the weapon from the Super Hornet tests, the Navy was comfortable hurrying along the integration process. “The Navy deemed that, with all of the other tests on other platforms ... that the one test would be sufficient to certify it to move on to operational test,” Borup said. “Because it is a mature system, with lots of recent test data ... what they really needed to do was make sure that it could operate from end-to-end from an F-35 without any issues and it passed all of those tests.”...

...Once configured with 3F software that enables full warfighting capability, an F-35C will be able to carry five different weapons inside of its internal weapons bays: JSOW, GBU-31/32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and GBU-12 Paveway II bombs...."

PHOTO: "An F-35C Lightning II test aircraft conducts the first separation of a Joint Standoff Weapon C from an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. (U.S. Navy photo via Raytheon)" https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/ALU_1 ... uality(100)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/6ORJPWYS6BBQZOOKU3SK7AH4ZU.jpg

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-sho ... avys-f-35/

Did that article leave out GBU-39 (SDB I) ?

Did that article leave out GBU-39 (SDB I) ?

No, the Navy does not use the SDB I (or the JASSM and GBU-49 either for that matter). Not that it couldn't, just that it currently doesn't. All they would have to do to integrate those weapons (once they are operational on the F-35A) is do the aircraft and shipboard compatibility testing (may need a different bomb filler, not sure what is used on those weapons).

Good stuff, FOC with JSOW C1.

JASSM & ER version won't be far behind with 4.1. No doubt USAF and maybe RAAF will go first (external mixed with int JSM).

F-35 carrying inert JASSM:
https://thaimilitaryandasianregion.file ... .jpg?w=625

https://thaimilitaryandasianregion.file ... .png?w=558

Finally getting its stealth attack teeth.

Those images are just renders, but JASSM is expected at some point in Block 4.

Did that article leave out GBU-39 (SDB I) ?

No, the Navy does not use the SDB I (or the JASSM and GBU-49 either for that matter). Not that it couldn't, just that it currently doesn't. All they would have to do to integrate those weapons (once they are operational on the F-35A) is do the aircraft and shipboard compatibility testing (may need a different bomb filler, not sure what is used on those weapons).

The Air Force is buying GBU-49 for the Marines.

Added: Apr 10, 2018 12:39 pm
Description
Notice of Contract Action (NOCA) - AFLCMC/EBDK intends to procure 300 GBU-49 kits for F-35B for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) under contract FA8681-18-C-0010. This contract will be awarded to Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS), 1151 E. Hermans Rd, Tucson, AZ 85756-9367. The estimated value of this contract action is $13.4M. The estimated award date for the contract is 31 May 2018. The anticipated period of performance for this effort is 1 June 2017 through 15 December 2018.

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=c2bede0eb0a3d4f81d46b063a5a1bec3&_cview=0

Navy Completes Developmental Test of JSOW on F-35C; Operational Test Later in Summer
10 Apr 2018 RICHARD R. BURGESS

"NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The Raytheon-built AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) has been integrated on the Navy’s F-35C Lightning II strike fighter, completing developmental testing for the weapon’s integration on the fighter, a company official said. Mark “Smoke” Borup, Raytheon’s director of business development for Medium-Range Strike/Attack, Air Warfare Systems, told Seapower at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition April 9 that the JSOW’s operational test (OT) will begin in the fourth quarter of this year. The JSOW C and maritime strike C-1 variant have been fielded on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Borup said the developmental test covered carriage of two JSOWs in the weapons bay of the F-35C. The aircraft later will be able to carry four more JSOWS on its wing stations. “We’re ready for OT,” Borup said.

The JSOW-C and C-1 can be dropped at standoff ranges up to 70 nautical miles to avoid sophisticated multilayered air defense systems. The weapon can be programmed with waypoints and attack a target from a 180-degree aspect from the launch platform. The weapon can be programmed in three dimensions to attack a target at any angle between 23 and 74 degrees. This allows for the attack to be tailored against caves and any aspect of a building.

The JSOW is armed with a tandem warhead, an initial charge followed by a BROACH penetrating warhead. It has been tested to penetrate 5 feet of 5,000-Psi steel-reinforced concrete. It is equipped with an infrared seeker and can match a target with its programmed image and strike with an accuracy of 1 meter, even if the target is obscured by weather or smoke. “Accuracy is fundamental to lethality,” Borup said, adding that the JSOW-C is “very capable against GPS anti-jam and a lot of other threats, decoys and the like.”"

Source: http://seapowermagazine.org/stories/20180410-JSOW.html

The USN is waiting for a Dual-Voltage replacement for the BRU-61 (the bomb rack that holds the SDB) before they will use it.

https://www.raytheon.com/news/rtnwcm/gr ... 5_info.pdf

Thanks 'SWP'. The 8 Mb PDF single page above about SDB II reprinted to be much smaller attached.

I spoke too soon, JMM was canceled and dev funds transferred to the original BRU-61 in order to make it dual-voltage compatible.

Here is the snippet from this year's budget.

JMM BRU contract with Raytheon Intelligence Information Systems (RIIS, formerly RTSC) was terminated for convenience 19 October 2017. FY 2018 funds remain in PU 3082 to pay contract termination costs. FY 2019 and beyond funding was transferred from PU 3082 to PU 3072 to pay for mods to the current BRU-61 to meet Navy and Marine Corps environments.

http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y201 ... B_2019.pdf

Same PDF as above reprinted with junk removed as a 2 page PDF attached and I'll make a single graphic also.....

Does this integration also includes the C-1 variant?

I imagine that it does since the datalink with the JSOW C-1 is done thru Link 16 (which the F-35 fully supports) and otherwise the C-1 seems to be externally the same as the baseline JSOW C.
But can anyone confirm (or dismiss) this for sure?

Thanks in advance.

Yes, per the latest DOT&E report, the F-35 includes the JSOW-C1 in Block 3F.

Thanks Spudman

That's a nice rack.