The U.S. Navy completed a series of captive-flight tests on Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon C-1, putting the warfighter one step closer to gaining a net-enabled standoff weapon with moving maritime target capability.

JSOW is a family of low-cost, air-to-surface weapons that employs an integrated GPS-inertial navigation system and terminal imaging infrared seeker and guides the weapon to the target. JSOW C-1 adds a moving maritime target capability and a two-way strike common weapon datalink to the combat-proven weapon.

"These tests pave the way for a JSOW C-1 free-flight test later this year," said Phyllis McEnroe, Raytheon's JSOW program director. "JSOW C-1 is the only air-launched weapon in production that enables the warfighter to engage moving ships over the horizon, and it's approved for export."

Conducted on an F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet, the tests demonstrated the weapon's ability to detect and track moving targets, provide in-flight updates, re-target in flight, and handoff in-flight control to a third party source.

"Accurately striking moving maritime targets using standoff weapons is a critical warfighter capability," said Lt. Cdr. Samuel Hanaki, U.S. Navy's Precision Strike Weapons program office. "When JSOW C-1 reaches initial operational capability in 2013, the warfighter will have an air-launched, net-enabled weapon that gives them greater effectiveness at sea and in the littorals."