The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon is a U.S.-built, 1,000-pound-class air-launched guided glide bomb with modular payloads, GPS/INS guidance, and later imaging-infrared and network-enabled variants. It gives carrier and land-based strike aircraft a standoff precision-attack option, with current catalog conflict coverage focused on documented U.S. JSOW-series use during 2025 strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen and the Red Sea crisis.
Open-source munition documentation identified U.S. F/A-18 aircraft carrying AGM-154 JSOW-series glide bombs for March 2025 strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, with later remnant evidence tied to the AGM-154C/BROACH warhead family.
Role detailsDuring Operation Rough Rider, U.S. Navy F/A-18 aircraft were documented carrying AGM-154 JSOW-series munitions as part of strikes tied to the Red Sea maritime-security campaign against Houthi forces.
JSOW designations separate payload and guidance/networking changes within the AGM-154 family; Navy sources distinguish A/A-1/C configurations from the later C-1 network-enabled configuration.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| AGM-154A | Baseline area-target variant | Carries 145 BLU-97 combined-effects bomblets for fixed and relocatable soft targets such as parked aircraft, vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and surface-to-air missile sites. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
| AGM-154A-1 | FMS unitary-warhead A variant | Modified AGM-154A developed and produced for Foreign Military Sales with a 500-pound BLU-111 warhead in place of BLU-97 submunitions. Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
| AGM-154C | Unitary/BROACH penetrator variant | Adds an uncooled long-wave imaging infrared seeker with autonomous target acquisition and a BROACH multi-stage or 500-pound blast/fragmentation/penetrator warhead for fixed-point and hardened targets. Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Navy's JSOW C Approved for Full Rate Production |
| AGM-154C-1 | Network-enabled maritime/land-target variant | C-1 adds Link 16/data-link networking and updated seeker software for stationary land targets and moving maritime targets while retaining GPS/INS and terminal IR guidance. Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), JSOW C-1 variant successfully tested, JSOW |
Official Navy and Air Force sources document JSOW integration, compatibility, or release testing across carrier aircraft, Air Force fighters, bombers, and selected Marine Corps and Joint Strike Fighter variants.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Carrier strike fighter | NAVAIR lists F/A-18C/D aircraft among JSOW platforms, and the Navy fact file lists F/A-18C/D among aircraft integrated with JSOW variants. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
 | Carrier strike fighter | NAVAIR and the Navy fact file list F/A-18E/F integration, and a C-1 test report says the F/A-18E/F can relay targeting information to the weapon. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), JSOW C-1 variant successfully tested |
 | Carrier-based strike fighter | The Navy fact file lists F-35C integration, and DVIDS documents an F-35C releasing an AGM-154 JSOW during testing over the Atlantic ranges. Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), DVIDS F-35C JSOW release |
 | Stealth strike fighter | NAVAIR lists the F-35A among JSOW Air Force platforms, while the Navy fact file lists the C-1 variant for F-35A/C carriage. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
 | STOVL strike fighter | NAVAIR lists the F-35B/C among Navy JSOW platforms, supporting compatibility with the short-takeoff/vertical-landing F-35B variant. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
 | Multirole fighter | NAVAIR lists F-16 Block 40/50 aircraft among JSOW platforms, and the Navy fact file lists the F-16 among aircraft integrated with JSOW. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
 | Strike fighter | The Navy fact file lists F-15E integration, and NAVAIR describes JSOW-C compatibility with F-15 aircraft. Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Navy's JSOW C Approved for Full Rate Production |
 | Attack aircraft | NAVAIR lists the AV-8B among Navy and Marine Corps JSOW platforms. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
 | Attack aircraft | NAVAIR lists the A-10 among Air Force JSOW platforms. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
 | Long-range bomber | The Navy fact file lists B-1B integration, NAVAIR describes B-1 compatibility, and the Air Force reported B-1B JSOW drops during flight testing. Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), Navy's JSOW C Approved for Full Rate Production, Lancer drops joint standoff weapons |
 | Stealth bomber | NAVAIR describes JSOW-C compatibility with B-2 aircraft, and the Navy fact file lists B-2 integration. Sources: Navy's JSOW C Approved for Full Rate Production, AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
 | Strategic bomber | NAVAIR lists B-52 aircraft among JSOW Air Force platforms, and the Navy fact file lists B-52 integration. Sources: Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) |
The Navy fact file places JSOW's operational deployment in January 1999.
Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
The Navy fact file records AGM-154C full-rate production in December 2004.
Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
The Navy fact file records AGM-154C initial operational capability in February 2005, after full-rate production approval in December 2004.
Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
The Navy fact file says JSOW C-1 procurement began in FY 2011.
Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
The Navy fact file records JSOW C-1 initial operational capability in June 2016.
Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
The Navy fact file says domestic JSOW production ended in 2017.
Sources: AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
