Raytheon Company completed a series of free-flight demonstrations of the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) AGM-154-C from an F-16IN fighter aircraft. The tests were part of the Indian Air Force’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition.
JSOW is a family of low-cost air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS/Inertial Navigation System and terminal infrared seeker that guide the weapon to the target. The system has a maximum range of 130 kilometers (80.5 statute miles) from high altitude and can penetrate more than 1.5 meters (approximately 5 feet) of reinforced concrete.
“We conducted the demonstration to show that JSOW-C, which is currently integrated on various F-16 international aircraft, could be easily, affordably and rapidly integrated on the F-16IN,” said Phyllis McEnroe, Raytheon’s JSOW program director. “JSOW is already integrated on the F/A-18 Super Hornet and has been employed from that platform numerous times, so this test proves that JSOW can now be employed from both U.S. MMRCA offerings.”
The MMRCA program is a competition to procure 126 new aircraft for Indian air warriors.