Posted on 02/04/2012 7:53:53 PM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Raytheon 'networked weapon' clears testing hurdle
The U.S. Navy has completed developmental testing of Tucson-based Raytheon Missile System's Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C-1.
The conclusion of developmental testing keeps the program on track to reach initial operating capability in 2013, Cmdr. Samuel Hanaki of the U.S. Navy's Precision Strike Weapons program office said in a news release by Raytheon.
However, Raytheon has been producing the JSOW C-1 since 2009 under a simultaneous development and production plan.
The JSOW C-1, which Raytheon calls "the world's first networked weapon," is the latest version of the unpowered glide bomb.
With a range of 70 miles, the weapon can receive target updates in-flight from the launching aircraft or from other aircraft, ships or ground stations. It can strike a precise point on a moving ship using an autonomous target seeker, Hanaki said.
During the test, which met all objectives, the JSOW C-1 was released from an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet and guided to a small, fast moving ship target located about 29 miles from the launch point. The weapon provided status messages via a tw
(Excerpt) Read more at azstarnet.com ...
Undated photo of a JSOW test
So we have here a completely kinetic-energy missile, except of course for the command and control electronics. “Networked”? Would this mean that a group of them can be guided together, and/or can signal one another in order to avoid inadvertent fratricide?
If they can do it from there, they can do it from orbit.
All your carriers are belong to us.
I remember reading in Tom Clancy’s novel “The Bear and the Dragon” about the US military using J-SOWs (nicknamed “smart pigs” or “magic pigs”) that released bomblets over formations of tanks and armor and basically obliterated them.
Is this the same weapon, and does it have multiple uses?
That’s great until someone hacks into it. Skynet anyone?
I think it refers to the ability for multiple platforms to be able to guide the weapons rather than just the launch aircraft.
Thank you, I am now edumacated. :)
ping
And the proposed Extended Range version extends the C-1 capabilities out to 300 miles with a small jet engine..
Raytheon slide show here -
https://www.brainshark.com/raytheon/vu?pi=350181162
Stand off = survivability
A B-1B at 48,000ft could drop a bunch of these and cover a lot of ground...but targeting very, very specific things.
We have the avionics to guide hundred at a time to hundreds of targets simultaneously.
These bombs can be much smaller than older gravity bombs because they hit their target perfectly.
That tank doing 35mph?
Straight down on the turret. One for every AAA or Howitzer position. Machine gun nest.
Put up 20 B-1B and another few hundred other aircraft with this type of weapon and you can do a LOT of very precise surface damage.
smart pig bump
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Will it or a smaller varient work against Iranian speedboats?
Since the JSOW comes in sizes starting from approximately 1,000 pounds, I’d say it’s overkill if you are looking at small inexpensive speed boats. Targeting a mobile major warship (which it can do) is different from taking on a swarm of small boats. You have a lot of other inexpensive options.
If we get into a conflict with a serious opponent, it may be very important to have the ability for special ops teams to guide bombs and missiles onto enemy air defense assets, with the launching aircraft staying just out of range of SAMs.
I was hoping that their terminal guidance system could talk to other JSOWs and allocate targets...
So they can give mid-course corrections - big deal. The Soviets knew how do that with their big anti-ship missiles.
Like the Predator-B, which can carry up to 14 Hellfire missiles (just the right size for a speedboat), or a mix of Hellfire and JDAM, and can loiter, fully loaded, for up to 14 hours.
As long as one of the platforms does not belong to the Iranians. This scares me.
The recent drone incident comes to mind. If they can hack in and land a drone, they may be able to hack this thing and tun it on our assets.
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