Morocco Air Force F-16 fighters to be armed with JSOW Joint Stand Off Weapons

Aviation Defense News April 2023
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The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency on April announced that the State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Morocco of Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $250 million.

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Morocco Air Force F 16 fighters to be armed with JSOW Joint Stand Off Weapons Morocco intends to use the missiles on its F-16 multi-role fighters (Picture source: Raytheon)

The Government of Morocco has requested to buy forty (40) AGM-154C Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW). Also included are Dummy Air Training Missiles; Captive Flight Vehicles (CFVs); Free Flight Vehicles (FFVs); containers; mission planning, integration support, and testing; munitions storage security and training; weapon operational flight program software development; transportation, tools and test equipment; support equipment; spare and repair parts; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated total cost is $250 million.

Morocco intends to use the missiles on its F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft. The proposed sale of these missiles and support will increase the Royal Moroccan Air Force’s maritime partnership potential and align its capabilities with existing regional baselines.

The principal contractor will be Raytheon Missiles & Defense Company, Tucson, Arizona. Implementation of this proposed sale will require annual trips to Morocco involving U.S. Government and contractor representatives for technical reviews, support, and oversight for approximately seven years.

JSOW is a family of fire-and-forget air-to-ground, precision glide munitions that are designed to be launched from military aircraft at a safe distance from the target area. JSOW is available in several variants, each of which is optimized for a different type of target. For example, the AGM-154A is designed to attack stationary targets like buildings and bridges, while the AGM-154C is designed to attack moving targets like ships and tanks.

JSOW is a highly effective weapon system that has been used in combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other locations around the world.