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​The White House Announces that Ukraine Will Receive Long-range Cruise Bombs for F-16 Aircraft in Aid Package Worth $7.9 bln

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 JSOW-ER / Open source illustrative photo
JSOW-ER / Open source illustrative photo

The USA will transfer to Ukraine the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW long-range munition with a range of up to 130 km, which are compatible with F-16 fighters

This decision, as reported on the official website of the White House, was taken by US President Joe Biden on Thursday, September 26.

"To enhance Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities, I have decided to provide Ukraine with the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) long-range munition," Joe Biden said.

Read more: ​Ukrainian Forces Deliver Precision Strikes on russian Bunkers and Ammunition Depots in Kharkiv Region (Video)

The US president also directed the Pentagon to allocate the remaining $5.5 billion that remained as part of the aid to Ukraine approved by Congress last fall. This aid expires on September 30, but the funds will be used until the end of 2024.

The White House Announces that Ukraine Will Receive Long-range Cruise Bombs for F-16 Aircraft, The JSOW long-range munitions  on board a Greek F-16, Defense Express
The JSOW long-range munitions on board a Greek F-16 / Illustrative photo

In addition, the Pentagon announced $2.4 billion in security assistance through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which will provide Ukraine with additional air defense, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and air-to-ground munitions, as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defense industrial base and support its maintenance and sustainment requirements.

The Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) is a is a glide bomb designed to engage land and sea targets at long range. The munition has a range of up to 130 km if launched from a high altitude, and the bomb itself can be aimed at the target. The mass of the aerial bomb reaches 450 kg.

The guidance system is a combination of Inertial Navigation System (INS) and GPS. Some modifications (for example, JSOW-C) have an infrared homing head for more accurate hitting of targets

In general, there are different types of aerial bomb warheads:

JSOW-A (baseline JSOW) has a warhead consisting of 145 BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb (CEB) submunitions. These bomblets have a shaped charge for armor defeating capability, a fragmenting case for material destruction, and a zirconium ring for incendiary effects.

JSOW-C (unitary variant) carries the BROACH warhead. This two stage 225 kg (500 lb) warhead is made up from a WDU-44 shaped augmenting warhead and a WDU-45 follow through bomb. The weapon is designed to attack hardened targets. The bomb uses an Imaging Infrared (IIR) terminal seeker with autonomous guidance.

JSOW-C1: An improved version of the JSOW-C, capable of engaging moving naval targets.

The White House Announces that Ukraine Will Receive Long-range Cruise Bombs for F-16 Aircraft, Defense Express

These aerial bombs can be launched at a considerable distance from the target, because it is a "stand-off" weapon. In other words, it allows carrier aircraft to avoid enemy air defense systems areas.

The White House message did not say what type of warhead the aerial bombs would be transferred to Ukraine. This information may not be disclosed for security reasons.

Read more: ​Pentagon Unveils $375 Million Aid for Ukraine, the AGM-158 JASSM Cruise Missiles May Be Included