The United States provides Ukraine with JSOW long-range bombs

The United States has approved the transfer of Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) bombs capable of hitting targets at a distance of 130 kilometers. The statement was published on the White House website. Within a new £7.9 billion military aid package, Ukraine will receive AGM-154 JSOW precision-guided bombs for the first time.

"To enhance Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities, I have decided to provide Ukraine with the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) long-range munition," President Joe Biden said. The new weapon is being transferred under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) program from the US Armed Forces, so the first units can be delivered in a short time. The new munition is part of the arsenal of European F-16 fighter jets transferred to Ukraine, which have been modernized under the MLU M5 program.

Accordingly, they can be used without additional modernizations and updates.

Joint Standoff Weapon

The AGM-154 is a 500-kilogram, stealthy, precision-guided bomb. It is equipped with wings and aerodynamic surfaces to adjust and extend the range. The maximum flight range of the bomb is 130 km, provided that the bomb is dropped from an altitude of 8 km and a speed of 960 km/h.

At the same time, when launched at low altitudes, the range is limited to 20-30 kilometers. The guidance of AGM-154 base missiles is performed by an inertial system with correction by GPS satellite signal. However, later versions of the AGM-154C, which were supplied to the U.S.

Navy, also include an infrared seeker. The bomb was produced in several modifications that differed in the warhead. The AGM-154A version, which was supplied only to the U.S. military, is equipped with a cluster warhead for 145 BLU-97/B high-explosive fragmentation submunitions weighing 1.5 kg each.

Another version is the naval AGM-154C, which was equipped with a 225-kilogram BROACH warhead, identical to the one used on the French/British Storm Shadow/SCALP EG cruise missile. This warhead is perfect for destroying shelters and other defended objects due to the use of a reload that pierces the fortifications for the main charge, which explodes in the middle of the target.

An F-16 fighter jet can carry up to four JSOW bombs on its wing pylons, and they are prepared and programmed within minutes before departure.