United States Approves Possible Sale of AIM-9X and AGM-154 JSOW Worth $323 Million to Finland
The Department of State has approved a potential sale of AIM 9X Block II missiles and AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapons (JSOW) to the Government of Finland. Although the contents of the sale are yet to be finalized, the deal includes the live AIM-9X and AGM-154 missiles, captive flight and training missiles, as well as other related elements of program and logistics support for an estimated cost of $323.3 million.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s Congressional notification of the sale:
“The Government of Finland has requested to buy forty (40) AIM 9X Block II tactical missiles; four (4) AIM 9X Block II tactical guidance units; and forty-eight (48) AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapons (JSOW). Also included are Dummy Air Training Missiles (DATM); Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM); 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; books and other publications; training; training aids and devices; space parts; support equipment; weapon system software support; U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical and logistics support services; studies and surveys; missile technical assistance; other technical assistance; and other related elements of program and logistics support.”
About the AGM-154 JSOW:
The AGM-154 is an air-launched glide bomb that is made by Raytheon, the bomb weighs 500 kg and is guided by GPS and a front-end infrared seeker. The AGM-154 has a reported maximum range of 130 km and a minimum of 22 km, with the range of the weapon dependent on the altitude and speed of the launching aircraft. Other operators of the AGM-154 include the United States, Australia, Greece, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Turkey.
The Finnish Air Force currently operates a limited number of AGM-154 JSOWs. These were acquired in 2008 as part of the second phase of the Finnish Air Force’s F/A-18 Mid-Life Upgrade. To complement the JSOW, the Finnish Air Force also operates the AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Stand-Off Missile (JASSM).