First release of the new Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) missile
December 3, 2024
Northrop Grumman announced on 18 November 2024 that it had delivered the Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) test missile to the US Air Force. This test round was a jettison test vehicle, and contained no rocket motor or internal electronics. It was intended to be used solely to verify that the launch aircraft can safely carry the weapon, and then to confirm that the weapon would safely separate from the aircraft. By the time delivery was announced, the first drop test had already taken place, with a first release undertaken from a 40th Flight Test Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon from Eglin AFB, Florida.
The test was undertaken on 7 November over the Gulf of Mexico, and involved a number of units from the 96th Test Wing, under the direction of the Air Force Armament Directorate. Test conductors planned and controlled the mission out of the Eglin Central Control Facility, while Eglin’s engineers monitored the separation and will conduct post-flight analysis. Eglin pilots flew the mission and dedicated photographers captured the aerial test footage.
Major James Tipton, 780th Test Squadron assistant director of operations said that: “Successful execution of this test was a testament to the outstanding teamwork from everyone involved.”
The Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) is derived from the United States Navy’s AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ER) SEAD missile. It is designed as an air-to-ground weapon that will target and defeat rapidly relocatable targets including theatre ballistic missile launchers, cruise and anti-ship missile launchers, anti-satellite systems and GPS jamming platforms, and fits within the F-35 Lightning II’s internal weapon bays. The weapon promises to play a key part in helping to neutralise an enemy’s anti-access/area denial environment.
The US Air Force awarded the SiAW contract to Northrop Grumman in September 2023, and the company is continuing to develop the weapon, and conduct platform integration. The flight test programme and subsequent rapid prototyping phase is planned to lead to fielding by 2026.
