JSOW C-1 integrated testing begins

Raytheon has announced that along with the US Navy, it has begun integrated testing (IT) of the company’s Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C-1. The company made the announcement 21 August 2012.

During its first flight in IT, the JSOW C-1 was retargeted to strike a large moving ship target, to demonstrate that the JSOW C-1 can ‘receive third party target updates in-flight, retarget after release, and strike a precise point on a moving ship using the weapon’s autonomous terminal seeker’. 

According to Raytheon, the test presented two manoeuvring ships (large and small) as potential targets. Before weapon release, a navy F/A-18F Super Hornet targeted the smaller ship, and then handed off weapon control to a second Super Hornet also targeting the smaller ship. After release from the first Super Hornet, the JSOW C-1 was guided by the second Super Hornet toward the smaller manoeuvring ship target located 90 kilometres from launch point.

While in flight, the JSOW was retargeted by the second Super Hornet to the larger manoeuvring ship target. The JSOW provided weapon in-flight track and bomb hit indication status messages back to the controlling Super Hornet while successfully engaging the larger target ship. The test validated JSOW C-1’s unique ability to be controlled, updated and retargeted as needed to eliminate its intended target.

JSOW is a family of air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS- inertial navigation system and terminal imaging infrared seeker. JSOW C-1 adds the two-way Strike Common Weapon Datalink to the combat-proven weapon, enabling moving maritime target capability, and is the first networked weapon with a range of approximately 100 kilometres.

Raytheon said the programme is on track to achieving initial operating capability in 2013.