F-35 integrates with JSOW missile, final development test complete
NewsApril 17, 2018
TUCSON, Ariz. Engineers at Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and the U.S. Navy completed the final developmental test to integrate the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C onto the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's C variant.
Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the F-35, and the F-35 Joint Program Office participated in the latest test with Raytheon, which took place on the Navy's China Lake ranges in California. The test, according to officials, will keep the low-cost, air-to-ground missile on track for full deployment in 2019.
The JSOW glide weapon uses a GPS-inertial navigation system with an imaging infrared seeker that can identify and track targets autonomously. JSOW C weighs 1,000 pounds and is effective against high-value land targets at ranges greater than 70 nautical miles, officials say.
"With JSOW C in its internal weapons bay, the Navy's F-35C can now eliminate the toughest ground targets from significant standoff ranges," says Mike Jarrett, vice president of Raytheon Air Warfare Systems. "JSOW's advanced warhead and smart fuse provide fighter pilots with plenty of flexibility against hard and soft targets — plus, it has many programmable effects."
