A 40th Flight Test Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon releases a Stand-in Attack Weapon for the first time Nov. 7 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The mission marked the first time the weapon was successfully released from an aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Blake Wiles)
Joseph Trevithick of The War Zone reports that flight testing of the Stand-In Attack Weapon, under development to help the USAF strike key time-sensitive targets, is now fully underway. Trevithick writes:
U.S. Air Force F-16C Viper has conducted the first test release of a Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) missile. The service has said it expects the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter to be the first operational launch platform for the SiAW, which is being developed to provide a high-speed strike capability against a variety of time-sensitive ground targets.
The Air Force put out a picture of the F-16C from the 40th Flight Test Squadron releasing the SiAW test missile, seen below, over a range in the Gulf of Mexico earlier today. The test flight was staged from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, but it is unclear when exactly it occurred. Prime contractor Northrop Grumman announced the delivery of the first SiAW test article last month, but it is not clear if that was the missile dropped in this test or how many others have been delivered since. The missile is derived from the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER), which has already been in flight testing for years now. […]
For SiAW, gathering data on how the missile separates from any pylon would be a useful starting place toward working up to future tests. The picture of the F-16 dropping the test article also gives a good sense of just how big the weapon is overall. […]
It is also possible that the SiAW could find its way onto other aircraft within the service, as well as with other U.S. and foreign operators. Sized for the A version of the F-35, the missile would also be able to fit inside the bays on U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine F-35Cs, though not in the smaller ones on F-35Bs that the Marines and others fly. All three types could be able to carry the missiles externally, too. […]
Currently, the Air Force’s stated goal is to reach initial operational capability with SiAW, at least on F-35A by 2026. Flight testing of the missile is now fully underway.
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