Warplanes: April 3, 2001

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The US Air Force are buying 3,000 upgraded AGM-154B JSOW guided bombs. These weapons carry the new BLU-108B cluster bombs. The new weapon hit 140 percent more targets in tests. It does this by adding sixteen smaller self-forging warheads to the one in the earlier version of the "Skeet" anti-vehicle weapon. The sixteen smaller warheads won't hurt a tank much, but can damage trucks, artillery and radar equipment. Each JSOW carries six BLU-108Bs, and each of these carries four of the new Skeet warheads. The BLU-108B skeets have better sensors, enabling each to cover twice as much area. Each JSOW with the new BLU-108B can now cover a target area of 100,000 square meters. The BLU-108B is actually cheaper to manufacture than it's predecessor. Some 4200 are being bought, including 1,200 for the Navy.

 

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