The JSOW is a
fire-and-forget weapon that employs a tightly coupled
GPS/INS for navigation, and is capable of day/night and adverse weather operations. The JSOW-C adds an
infra-red seeker for
terminal guidance. Originally the JSOW was developed by
Defense Systems & Electronics division of
Texas Instruments. After a first flight, funded by the company in April 1991, a joint program between the US Navy and the US Air Force was awarded. Two other teams had bid on the contract. Texas Instruments sold its defense division to
Raytheon in January 1997. US Navy commenced Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) in February 1997 and JSOW entered operational service in January 1999. The Joint
Standoff Weapon is currently used by the US Navy.
Foreign Military Sales have been signed with Poland and Turkey for use with their F-16 fighters. Finland, Greece and Singapore are pursuing FMS cases at this time. (Finland cleared the FMS procedure and made the purchase for JSOW as well as JASSM and JDAM in 2017.) The JSOW family is a class weapon intended to provide a low cost, highly lethal air-to-surface glide bomb with standoff capabilities from low altitude launch and up to high altitude launch. The JSOW can be used against a variety of land targets and operates from ranges outside enemy point defenses. The JSOW is just over in length and weighs about . The JSOW was originally to be delivered in three variants, each of which uses a common air vehicle, or truck, while substituting various payloads. The AGM-154A (JSOW-A) entered service in 1999. US Navy and Air Force developed the AGM-154B (JSOW B) up until Multi-Service Operational Test & Evaluation (MOT&E) but the Navy decided not to procure the weapon when the Air Force left the program. The AGM-154C (JSOW BROACH) entered service in February 2005. releases an AGM-154 JSOW over the Utah Test and Training Range , on display at the
Belgrade Aviation Museum in
Serbia. During the 1990s, the JSOW was considered to be one of the most successful development programs in DOD history. The system was introduced to operational use a year ahead of schedule. Unlike most guided weapons and aircraft, the system never had a weight management problem, and was deployed at its target weight. The system introduced a new type of
fuze, but was able to obtain authority from an independent safety review in record time. Many observers credited these accomplishments to the management style chosen by the DOD and Texas Instruments. After a competitive selection, the program staff was organized into integrated product teams with members from the government, the prime contractor
Texas Instruments, and subcontractors. In one case, the prime contractor determined that the best-in-class supplier for a design service was the government, and gave part of its funding back. JSOW was recognized in 1996 with a
Laurels Award from
Aviation Week & Space Technology. It is notable for a guided weapon to receive this award, which is normally reserved for much larger systems. Because of this history, JSOW has been used as a case study for development programs, and for Integrated Product Teams, and is sometimes cited in academic research on program management. ==Variants==