The U.S. Navy and Raytheon [RTN] finished the final developmental test to integrate the Joint Standoff Weapon C (JSOW-C) onto the F-35C, the company said Tuesday.

This test occurred on the Navy’s China Lake range in California earlier this year and was the last before the missile moves to operational testing. The JSOW-C is on track for full deployment to F-35Cs in 2019, Raytheon said.

A Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C-1 impacts a target during a March 2016 flight test at Point Mugu Sea Test Range, Calif. (Photo: U.S. Navy).
A Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) C-1 impacts a target during a March 2016 flight test at Point Mugu Sea Test Range, Calif. (Photo: U.S. Navy).

The JSOW is a Raytheon-built air-launched glide weapon that uses a GPS-inertial navigation system and imaging infrared seeker to identify and track targets autonomously.

The JSOW C-1 variant achieved its initial operational capability (IOC) last June and the Navy declared the weapon ready for operations last July (Defense Daily, July 12, 2016).

Then last October, the JSOW C-1 was declared ready for full operational capability (FOC) (Defense Daily, Oct. 11, 2017).

The JSOW C variant weighs 1,000 pounds and is being promoted by Raytheon as useful against high-value land targets at ranges over 70 nautical miles.

The company noted the weapon is effective in day or night and in adverse weather conditions.

A Raytheon official underscored the JSOW C can fit in the F-35C’s weapon bay

“With JSOW C in its internal weapons bay, the Navy’s F-35C can now eliminate the toughest ground targets from significant standoff ranges. 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,” Mike Jarrett, vice president of Raytheon’s Air Warfare Systems, said in a statement.

Two years ago, Raytheon said the JSOW would be carried by the F-35 externally (Defense Daily, May 18, 2016). A Raytheon webpage updated n February states the JSOW is planned to be integrated externally on the Marine Corps’ F-35B Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant.

Lockheed Martin [LMT], which builds the F-35, and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) participated in the latest test.

The JSOW is already integrated on various other Navy and Air Force aircraft, including the F-16, F/A-18, B-52, F-15E, B-1B, and B-2.