The US State Department has approved a potential sale of Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW) to Oman for an estimated cost of $385 million.
Oman requested to buy 48 of the Raytheon-built AGM-154C JSOW, as well as dummy air training missiles, integration support, and spare and repair parts.
While the State Department notification of the possible sale to Congress did not specify which aircraft the air-to-ground missile will be integrated on, Oman currently operates Eurofighter Typhoons and F-16 fighters, which could potentially carry the missile.
Originally developed for the US Navy, JSOW is a medium-range, precision strike standoff system, and the first air-launched, network-enabled weapon to be used on fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
The 1,000-pound class air-to-surface missile can carry several different lethal packages and has a standoff range of 12 to 63 nautical miles. JSOW has so far been integrated on the F/A-18C/D/E/F, F-16, B-52, F-15E, F-35C, B-1B and B-2 aircraft
The JSOW C-1 requested by Oman has a range of more than 100 kilometers, and introduces a two-way Strike Common Weapon Datalink. It gives fleet forces the flexibility to engage moving maritime targets while retaining effectiveness against stationary land targets. This variant also adds a weapon datalink radio and modified seeker software to bolster anti-surface warfare missions.
“The proposed sale would increase the Royal Air Force of Oman’s ability to secure Oman’s borders, airspace, and territorial waters. This expanded capacity will be a force multiplier and help negate regional security threats. Recent attacks on ships in the Gulf of Oman have increased Oman’s need for weapons that enable it to defend its territorial waters and ensure freedom of navigation,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
