"This contract award represents a major step forward in providing the Navy fleet pilots with much-needed capability against moving ship targets," said John O'Brien, Raytheon's JSOW program director. "The results of detailed trade studies performed by the NAVAIR-Raytheon team enabled Raytheon to develop an initial architecture and initial mission effectiveness assessments for this new JSOW variant. The studies were critical to the new seeker design, seeker software algorithm development and data link selection."

The AGM-154C1 builds upon the JSOW Block II weapon by adding a weapons data link to receive in-flight target updates from the F/A-18E/F aircraft. The new JSOW variant includes updated seeker algorithms designed to hit moving targets. Significant work on the seeker algorithms have been completed on Raytheon internal research and development funding in 2005 and 2006.

AGM-154C1 will maintain all standoff, survivability capability and improved anti-jam capability inherent in the current JSOW weapon. The AGM- 154C1 variant will maintain JSOW's low radar cross section and infrared signature. These are key stealth features, which ensure a high probability of JSOW survival en route to highly defended targets.

Earlier this year, Raytheon competitively awarded a subcontract to Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the development and qualification of a dual waveform (UHF and Link 16) weapon data link called Strike Link. The Raytheon team plans to use this data link in several weapons and, with the assistance of the NAVAIR team, will be the supplier of the Harpoon Block III data link.

"The Strike Link data link is an excellent example of how Raytheon is meeting NAVAIR's challenge to collaborate across multiple weapons in order to achieve an affordable and effective solution. The cost reduction culture is a key element of the Team JSOW philosophy, which enables the Navy to provide more weapons to the fleet with the required capability," said Captain Mat Winter, U.S. Navy JSOW program manager.

The NAVAIR-Raytheon team is working to maintain the culture of continuous cost reduction successfully implemented in the JSOW Block II program.

JSOW is a joint Navy and Air Force program. It is a family of low-cost, air-to-ground weapons that employs an integrated GPS/Inertial Navigation System that guides the weapon to the target. The JSOW uses a common and modular weapon body capable of carrying various payloads. Its long standoff range, up to 70 nautical miles (approximately 80.5 statute miles), allows delivery from well outside the lethal range of most enemy air defenses.

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