Further details from US officials are expected early this week.

While the package would also include air defense missiles, rockets, and artillery weaponry, the AGM-154 glide weapon equipping Ukraine’s F-16s is considered crucial for Kyiv, considering recent Russian advances in the east.

With a range of over 70 miles (112.6 kilometers), these weapons would allow Ukrainian pilots to target enemy troops and armor from a safer distance.

This US military donation would be the largest provided to Ukraine since May and could be the last before the US presidential elections scheduled for November 5.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is currently visiting the US to present his war “Victory Plan” to be discussed with President Joe Biden, and both presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

The post US Considers Sending AGM-154 Glide Weapon for Ukraine’s F-16s appeared first on The Defense Post.

A total of 50 AGM-154s will be handed over to the Taiwanese military by March 2028, the US Department of Defense said.

They will be in the latest Block III C configuration for integration into various aircraft, including the F/A-18 Hornet, F-35 Lightning II, and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Most of the work for the contract will be performed in Arizona.

The AGM-154 JSOW is one of the seven items announced by the US government in 2017 to be included in a large arms package for the small island nation.

With a “fire-and-forget” capability, the weapon can navigate to its target as far as 110 kilometers (68 miles) away with the help of a GPS/inertial navigation system.

Fulfilling Wishlist

In October 2023, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense submitted a weapons wishlist to the country’s legislature to bolster its invasion deterrence.

Among the precision strike missiles on the list were US-made AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, AGM-84 Standoff Land Attack Missiles, and the currently under contract AGM-154 JSOW.

The ministry stated that the weapons would enhance the ground and sea attack capabilities of the country’s F-16 fleet operating from the southern coast of Taiwan.

The glide bombs would also improve Taipei’s ability to strike from long range, which is a high priority for the small island nation facing growing pressure from China.

The post Raytheon Wins $68M AGM-154 Glide Bomb Contract for Taiwan appeared first on The Defense Post.

According to the contract announcement, 47 air-to-ground missiles will be produced for the Royal Bahraini Air Force, while six will be handed over to the US Navy to serve as replacement in kind.

All missiles under contract will be in the latest Block III C variant to support modern day missions.

In addition to the weapons, RTX will provide containers, test supplies, engineering technical services, and associated training support.

The majority of the work for the contract will be performed in Arizona, with an expected completion date of March 2028.

Precision Strike Weapon

Originally developed for the US military, the AGM-154 is the first air-launched, network-enabled weapon fitted on fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

It reportedly performs precision strikes at up to 63 nautical miles (73 miles/117 kilometers) when launched from an altitude of 40,000 feet (12,192 meters).

It leverages a highly-integrated GPS-inertial navigation system and a thermal imaging infrared seeker to effectively hit targets.

Weighing 1,000 pounds (453 kilograms), the missile can carry various lethal packages, such as AGM-154A bomblets, P3I BLU-108 sensor-fused-weapon submunitions, and a AGM-154C multi-stage warhead.

Latest Upgrade

In June last year, RTX announced that it is updating the technical data package and software for the AGM-154C missile.

Bahrain, Canada, and Taiwan are said to benefit from the modernization.

During that time, Manama had ordered an undisclosed number of AGM-154s to be equipped on its future F-16 fleet.

The upgrade included adding a weapon data link radio and modified seeker software to bolster the weapon’s anti-surface warfare missions.

The post RTX to Supply AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapons to Bahrain, US Navy appeared first on The Defense Post.

The not-to-exceed $302,439,830 modification to an earlier DoD contract is “for the procurement of 618 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) air-to-ground missiles (AGM-154 Block III C), containers, component parts/support equipment (spares) and engineering technical assistance for the government of Saudi Arabia, under the Foreign Military Sales program,” the Tuesday, December 12 release said.

The Defense Department said the majority of work will be performed in the U.S., but 22 percent will be undertaken in Wales and Scotland in the U.K. Production is expected to be completed in June 2022.

Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity.

In July 2015, Raytheon was contracted to produce 355 AGM-154 Block III C glide bombs for Saudi Arabia for $123 million and work was expected to be completed in April 2018. A total of 1,200 units were approved for sale to Saudi Arabia by the U.S. State Department in 2013.

The new contract is the second awarded for procurement of the weapon by Gulf states in recent months. In October, Raytheon was awarded a $173 million contract to produce 200 AGM-154 Block III C weapons for Qatar.

AGM-154 medium-range glide bomb

The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a low-cost, medium-range precision-guided glide bomb, designed as joint venture between the U.S. Navy and Air Force to engage defended and hardened targets from outside the range of standard anti-aircraft defenses.

On launch, small wings are deployed, allowing the weapon to glide for long distances like an unpowered cruise missile, providing standoff capabilities from 28 km (17.4 miles) for a low-altitude launch to 110 km (68 miles) from a high-altitude launch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ4ObsZbymc

The JSOW is a “launch and leave” weapon using both GPS and an inertial navigation system, making it capable of day, night and adverse weather operation.

The AGM-154C variant uses an imaging infra-red seeker for terminal guidance. It carries the BROACH two-stage warhead designed to attack hardened targets which was developed for the U.K. by BAE Systems, Thales and QinetiQ. The BROACH contains a WDU-44 shaped augmenting warhead and a WDU-45 follow through bomb.

The Block III upgrade adds a Link-16 weapon data link and moving maritime target capability to the AGM-154C.

Raytheon awarded $173 million contract for 200 JSOW glide bombs for Qatar

The post Saudi Arabia to buy more than 600 Raytheon-made Joint Standoff Weapons for $302 million appeared first on The Defense Post.

“Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is being awarded a $172,874,170 firm-fixed-price undefinitized contract action to procure 200 AGM-154C Block III joint standoff weapons, 212 containers, various component parts and support equipment for spares, and engineering and technical support for the government of Qatar,” the release said on Wednesday.

The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a low-cost, medium-range precision-guided glide bomb, designed as joint venture between the U.S. Navy and Air Force to engage defended and hardened targets from outside the range of standard anti-aircraft defenses.

It provides standoff capabilities from 28 kilometers (17.4 miles) for a low-altitude launch up to 110 kilometers (68 miles) from a high-altitude launch. The JSOW is a “launch and leave” weapon using both GPS and an inertial navigation system, making it capable of day, night and adverse weather operation.

The AGM-154C variant uses an imaging infra-red seeker for terminal guidance and carries the BROACH two-stage warhead designed to attack hardened targets. The BROACH contains a WDU-44 shaped augmenting warhead and a WDU-45 follow through bomb.

Outside the U.S., AGM-154s are operated by Australia, Canada, Finland, Greece, The Netherlands, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Defense Department said the majority of the work under the contract will be performed in Arizona, Texas, Vermont and Minnesota and other sites around the U.S., while 28 percent will be undertaken in Wales and Scotland in the U.K. Production is scheduled to be completed in June 2020.

$84,708,344 of foreign military sales funds will be obligated at time of award, the release said.

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded the contract, which was not competitively procured.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ4ObsZbymc

This post was updated on December 12 to change “cruise missile” to “glide bomb.” The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon is not powered, although Raytheon tested an Extended Rage version (JSOW-ER) in 2009 which was powered by a Pratt & Whitney TJ-150 turbojet engine. The engine increases the weapon’s range to 560 km.

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