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The AGM-154 JSOW is a long range standoff weapon designed primarily to engage long range air defense systems, as well as high value targets under heavy air defenses, all while being perfectly safe outside of their range. The AGM-154B carries a payload of 6 BLU-108 submunitions, each of which contain 4 “smart skeets” capable of destroying targets ranging from unarmored trucks and personnel to heavily armored main battle tanks.
What is JSOW?
The AGM-154 JSOW is a stealth GPS guided glide bomb designed to be used as a standoff weapon against air defense systems or protected high value targets. It has an extremely long range when dropped at high speed from a high altitude, and this allows them to be released from outside the range of enemy air defenses. There are multiple different variants of the AGM-154, each carrying a different payload:
- AGM-154A: this carries a payload of 145x BLU-97A/B Combined Effects bomblets
- AGM-154A-1: this carries a BLU-111 500lb conventional warhead
- AGM-154B: this carries a payload of 6x BLU-108 submunitions
- AGM-154C: this carries the BROACH warhead for use against hardened structures. It also contains an IIR seeker for terminal guidance
What is BLU-108?
The BLU-108 is a guided submunition designed for use with already existing cluster munition dispensers, as well as the AGM-154. It was developed for more precise strikes against armored targets where a normal cluster bomb might be largely ineffective. It was designed to have a low dud rate and it had multiple safeties integrated to prevent it from littering battlefields with UXO (unexploded ordnance).
How it works
Each AGM-154B JSOW contains a radar altimeter. When it reaches a preset altitude, it releases the BLU-108 submunitions, first the three in the front, then the three in the back. Each submunition deploys a small parachute to orient it vertically, followed by a drogue chute to slow its descent. Each submunition also has its own radar altimeter, which triggers a rocket motor to fire at a preset altitude. This motor gives the BLU-108 both vertical and rotational momentum, allowing it to release its four skeets in pairs to cover four quadrants, for a total coverage area of 820 feet. Each skeet contains a laser and an IR sensor. When the laser detects a sharp increase in terrain height due to a vehicle, it checks that spot against the IR sensor looking for a heat signature. If it also detects a heat signature, it detonates, sending an EFP in its direction. The warhead also has a fragmentation ring to improve effectiveness against soft targets. If the skeet does not find a target, it will detonate either 8 seconds after arming, or when it comes within 15 meters of the ground. If both of these safeties fail to operate, its internal battery dies within minutes, making it unable to detonate.
Platforms
- F-15E/EX
- F-16
- F/A-18
- F-35
- B-52
- B-1
Specifications
AGM-154B
- Dimensions: 4.1m length x 40.6cm width x 51.9cm height
- Wingspan: 2.69m
- Weight: 497kg
- Guidance: GPS+IOG
- Submunition count: 6
BLU-108
- Dimensions: 78.8cm long x 13.3cm diameter
- Weight: 29.5kg
- Submunition count: 4x Smart skeets
- Dispersal pattern: plus pattern
- Coverage area: 250m
- Smart skeet:
- Dimensions: 9.5cm long x 12.7cm diameter
- Weight: 3.4kg
- Explosive mass: 945g Octol
- TNT equivalent: 1,503g
- Coverage area: 50m
- EFP penetration: ~110mm
I used Wikipedia only for finding other sources - none of this information comes from Wikipedia
Wikipedia - BLU-108
US Designation systems - BLU-108/B
US Designation Systems - AGM-154
Audit report - Acquisition of the Sensor Fused Weapon
Textron BLU-108 datasheet
Global security - AGM-154B Joint Standoff Weapon [JSOW] JSOW-B
Liquisearch - AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon
Ares Armament Research - US CBU-97/CBU-105 ‘Sensor Fuzed Weapon’ cluster munition