By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
Attack enemy targets behind or on the side of an aircraft, thwart “jamming” attempts on weapons guidance systems, change course in-flight, reach new ranges, achieve breakthrough guidance precision and potentially even “collaborate” or share data with other weapons in flight … are just a few operational possibilities for the Air Force’s new air-fired Stand-In-Attack-Weapon (SiAW).
The new weapon, now in prototype form, will first fire from the F-35A as an air-to-ground weapon likely to be capable of paradigm-changing stand-off ranges, maneuverability and in-course flight adjustments. The Air Force has just finalized a $700 million deal with Northrop Grumman to further prototype, test and develop the weapon for initial integration on an F-35.
The weapon is slated to arrive in 2026.
“SiAW is an air-to-ground weapon that will provide strike capability to defeat rapidly relocatable targets as part of an enemy’s anti-access/area denial environment,” a Northrop Statement says.
While little detail is available, it is not surprising that paradigm-changing enhancements are introduced through software, as the F-35 has for years improved its weapons envelope through the creation of new interfaces, standards and software enhancement integrated through specific increments or “drops.” Now, software upgrades to weapons are more continuous and done as new applications emerge, something which greatly expedites the modernization process. For instance, previous software drops for the F-35 have enabled the aircraft to integrate the Stormbreaker, a precision-guided weapon capable of changing course in flight at ranges out to 40-nautical miles using a two-way datalink and tri-mode seeker technology using infrared RF tracking, laser targeting and millimeter wave sensing.
SiAW was built with extensive digital engineering, a cutting edge method of weapons development using computer simulations, modeling and advanced algorithms. The method has been used already to great success with the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance platform and new ICBM called the Sentinel. Advanced computing with simulations and a new generation of algorithms enables weapons developers to examine design models and specific key performance parameters for emerging weapons systems. What this means is that developers can analyze and assess a variety of different designs before any prototypes are actually built. It may seem surprising to some, however advanced computer simulations have advanced to rapidly and to such an extent that digital engineering methods and computer modeling are able to very precisely replicate design specifics and weapons performance parameters against expected threats. Digital engineering also enables rapid upgrading and as-needed software modifications, something Northrop Developers called MOSA, for Modular Open Systems Architecture. This makes sense as the intent is likely to not only incorporate the best available explosives, guidance technology, hardening and range capacity but also engineer a weapon which can continuously upgrade as new technology emerges.
Air Force and Northrop Developers are planning a Phase 2 development for the weapon which will include additional prototyping and guided vehicle flight tests prior to full-rate production of the weapon.
Air Force and Northrop data sheets on the weapon clearly suggest it is longer-range, more maneuverable and able to operate in a stand-off and more survivable fashion. While little detail is available, likely for security reasons, the Northrop Grumman data sheet does say the weapon is a “tail controlled missile” for increased maneuverability.
While guidance, explosives or sending details related to the SiAW are understandably less available due to security concerns, Air Force and industry air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons development have made paradigm-changing breakthroughs in recent years, so it would not be surprising if the emerging SiAW were engineered with two-way data links, hardening or RF countermeasures or the ability to fire “off-boresight” and change course in flight to hit targets on the side or behind the aircraft. The F-35s AIM-9X, for example, has in recent years been configured to fire “off-boresight,” meaning the missile can track a target that may not be in a linear or line-of-sight formation; the AIM-9X can now turn in flight to track and destroy enemy fighter jets and other targets potentially flying behind or on the side of an aircraft. Although the SiAW is primarily described as an air-to-ground weapon, it seem conceivable that it could be built with air-to-air capability at some point as well.
This weapons enhancement to the AIM-9X was largely achieved through software upgrades, practices which has also massively improved performance, range, hardening and precision for the F-22s AIM-9X and AIM-120D. Years ago, Lockheed worked with the Air Force on software upgrades to its weapons systems called 3.2b, weapons enhancements which are now operational across the fleet. Weapons guidance systems can be increasingly built with more guidance redundancy, jamming countermeasures such as “frequency hopping,” data links and course-correcting technology enabling weapons to track and destroy moving targets.
Developers of the SiAW do say it will have an increased ability to hit moving targets, something which makes sense given the Air Force’s technological breakthroughs with weapons guidance in recent years. For instance, the Air Force Research Laboratory is fast progressing with a collaborative weapons program called Golden Horde in which weapons “in flight” can autonomously exchange data with one another to adapt quickly to changing target specifics and moving targets. Drawing upon AI-systems and data analysis at the point of collection while in flight, weapons can now essentially “collaborate” by exchanging threat specific data between themselves while en-route to a target. It is not clear whether the new SiAW will operate with Golden Horde capability, as it is still an AFRL developmental program, however this is the kind of thing future air-fired weapons such as the emerging SiAW may incorporate moving into the future.
Tactically speaking, it would make sense that a more “maneuverable” weapon might be called a “Stand-In-Attack” weapon as it is likely engineered to respond in real-time to moving targets in closer proximity. Given this, it also makes sense that the weapon would be fired from a stealth platform such as an F-35, given that a 5th-generation aircraft is more likely to operate successfully close in against advanced air defenses. There is also a synergy here with the SiAW and F-35 because the Air Force intends to increasingly use the F-35 for the Close-Air-Support mission. This means the 5th-generation jet need weapons with greater close-in maneuverability to adjust to fast-changing ground targets while flying at lower altitudes.
In addition, range enhancements are also of great tactical significance, given that the F-35 is believed to operate with unparalleled targeting sensor range and fidelity. Air Force war games have shown that a single F-35 is capable of seeing, detecting tracking and then destroying entire groups of 4th-generation aircraft, due to its sensor range and accuracy. Accordingly, a longer-range, yet maneuverable weapon would align with and enhance the F-35’s ability to destroy targets at even greater stand-off ranges.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specia
list at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
