The Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a family of kinematically efficient, air-to-surface glide weapons, in the 1000-lb class, that provide standoff capabilities from both high and low altitudes. The JSOW will be used against land and sea targets, and will operate from ranges outside enemy point defenses, providing the warfighter with standoff precision engagement capability. A launch and leave weapon, JSOW employs a tightly coupled Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS), and is capable of day/night and adverse weather operations. The weapon will be both land and carrier based.

Weapon planning will be accomplished using the Navy's Tactical Automated Mission Planning System (TAMPS) and the Air Force Mission Support System (AFMSS). The JSOW will be employed on the following aircraft: F/A-18A/B, C/D, and E/F; AV-8B; F-14A/B and /D; F-16C/D; F-15E; F-117A;

B-1B; and B-52. The weapon comes in three operational variants.

1. AGM-154A (JSOW Baseline): The warhead of the AGM-154A consists of 145 BLU-97/B submunitions. Each bomblet is designed for multi-targets in one payload. The bomblets have a shaped charge for an armor defeat capability, a fragmenting case for material destruction, and a zirconium ring for incendiary effects. JSOW Baseline is designed to attack pre-planned fixed soft targets such as: air defense sites, parked aircraft, components of airfields and port facilities, command and control antennae, stationary light vehicles, trucks and artillery, and refinery components.

1. AGM-154B: The warhead for the AGM-154B is the BLU-108/B from the Air Force's Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) program. The JSOW will carry six BLU-108/B submunitions. Each submunition releases four projectiles or skeet (total of 24 per weapon) that use a dual sensor to detect targets. Upon target detection, the skeet detonates, creating an explosively formed penetrator slug capable of penetrating reinforced armor targets. This variant is primarily designed for pre-planned attacks on mobile and relocatable area targets such as armored vehicles, tanks, and trucks.

1. AGM-154C (Unitary Variant): The AGM-154C will use a combination of an Imaging Infrared (IIR) terminal seeker and a two-way data link to achieve point target accuracy through aimpoint refinement and man-in-the-loop (MITL) guidance. The AGM-154C will carry the BLU-111/B variant of the MK-82 500-pound general purpose bomb, equipped with the FMU-152 Joint Programmable Fuze (JPF) and is designed to attack point targets such as industrial facilities, logistical systems, and shipping locations.

The JSOW program was reviewed by the DAB in June 1989, and was granted Milestone I approval to enter the Demonstration and Validation phase for the JSOW Baseline (AGM-154A). In April 1992, the JSOW Baseline program completed DAB Milestone II and entered EMD. Milestone III for the AGM-154A and LRIP for the AGM-154B were granted 1QFY99. LRIP for the third variant is scheduled for FY01.

JSOW COIs address weapon accuracy, probability of kill, weapon and aircraft survivability, system reliability, maintainability, and operational availability. DOT&E observed the Navy OPEVAL in 1997, Air Force IOT&E in July 1998, and all LFT&E activities for JSOW Baseline and independently evaluated the test results. All testing was completed and evaluated to support the Milestone III decision in October 1998.

During FY98, DOT&E performed an independent LFT&E assessment on the lethality of JSOW/BLU-97 based on data obtained from the BLU-97 Insensitive Munition (IM) warhead characterization test, DT-IIC and OT-IIA live missile drops, and OPEVAL live drops. The results of the assessment are included in the combined JSOW/BLU-97 Operational and Live Fire Test Evaluation Report to Congress contained in the separately bound Congressional Reports annex of this annual report.

The results of Navy OPEVAL and Air Force IOT&E confirm that the JSOW Baseline is operationally effective and suitable. Additionally, JSOW Baseline meets accuracy and lethality requirements when employed against fixed, soft, pre-planned targets. However, future operational testing must address several unresolved and unsatisfactory issues including third party and self-targeting modes of operation, GPS jamming susceptibility, and container design. These areas will also be assessed during operational testing of JSOW BLU-108. DOT&E will continue to monitor and report JSOW test and evaluation activity.

Test results indicate that CBU-97 submunitions have a propensity to cluster and that impact patterns are unevenly distributed. This is contrary to the uniform distribution assumption employed in the Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual (JMEM). Because of the clustering effect, it appears that JMEM overestimates damage and more weapons may be required to destroy the target then predicted. This effect should be incorporated into future versions of JMEM methodology. Until success with two-missile missions is demonstrated, commanders and mission planners will need to consider releasing more than two missiles, especially for high value targets.