Raytheon glide bomb deployed from Navy F-35

Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems and the U.S. Navy have completed the final test to integrate Raytheon’s Joint Standoff Weapon-C onto the F-35C, the carrier-based variant of the Joint Strike Fighter.

The recent test, conducted on the Navy's China Lake ranges in California with F-35 maker Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office, keeps the air-to-ground missile on track for full deployment in 2019, Raytheon said.

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The test demonstrated the deployment of the JSOW-C, a 1,000-pound all-weather glide bomb with a range of more than 80 miles, from the internal weapons bay of an F-35C — a key capability that preserves the fighter’s radar-fooling stealth profile.

The F-35C completed fleet carrier qualification in March and was planned to reach initial operational capability this year, though that is now expected to be delayed. The plane is scheduled for initial deployment on aircraft carriers in 2021.