Raytheon has been awarded a $68.4-million contract to produce AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) for Taiwan.
A total of 50 AGM-154s will be handed over to the Taiwanese military by March 2028, the US Department of Defense said.
They will be in the latest Block III C configuration for integration into various aircraft, including the F/A-18 Hornet, F-35 Lightning II, and F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Most of the work for the contract will be performed in Arizona.
The AGM-154 JSOW is one of the seven items announced by the US government in 2017 to be included in a large arms package for the small island nation.
With a “fire-and-forget” capability, the weapon can navigate to its target as far as 110 kilometers (68 miles) away with the help of a GPS/inertial navigation system.
Fulfilling Wishlist
In October 2023, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense submitted a weapons wishlist to the country’s legislature to bolster its invasion deterrence.
Among the precision strike missiles on the list were US-made AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles, AGM-84 Standoff Land Attack Missiles, and the currently under contract AGM-154 JSOW.
The ministry stated that the weapons would enhance the ground and sea attack capabilities of the country’s F-16 fleet operating from the southern coast of Taiwan.
The glide bombs would also improve Taipei’s ability to strike from long range, which is a high priority for the small island nation facing growing pressure from China.