American JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon) glide bombs for the F-16 fighter strike targets hundreds of kilometers from the drop point. But their effectiveness depends on the drop altitude, which makes the aircraft vulnerable to the Russian air defense system, Bulgarian Military writes.
The JSOW guided bomb does not require additional guidance after launch. It is equipped with an inertial GPS navigation system and a thermal imaging infrared seeker, which allows it to independently acquire the target.
According to various estimates, the range of the JSOW varies from 22 to 130 km. The JSOW-ER variant, equipped with a turbojet engine, can fly more than 130 km.
F-16 fighters carrying JSOW guided bombs are easily detected by Russian radars. These aircraft are also exposed to long-range S-400 and S-500 SAM systems.
Due to effective Russian air defense, F-16 flights at high altitude are almost impossible. As a result, the enemy can only launch JSOW at low altitude, which limits the range of the bombs.
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