U.S. Forces use AGM-154C-1 glide bomb in Venezuela strike

United States forces conducted a strike in Venezuela on January 3 using the AGM-154C-1 Joint Stand-Off Weapon, after local authorities released images showing debris from the precision-guided glide munition at one of the impact sites.

According to photographs published by Venezuelan officials, identifiable fragments of an AGM-154C-1 were found after the January 3 attack. The debris included casing sections and internal components consistent with the C-1 variant, a version designed for long-range strikes with enhanced terminal guidance. Venezuelan authorities reported that the target was the Venezuelan Institute of Neurology and Brain Research, known as IVNIC.

The AGM-154C-1 is a stand-off glide weapon launched from U.S. aircraft such as the F/A-18 and F-35. It is designed to engage fixed, hardened targets from extended ranges—more than 100 kilometers when released from higher altitude—allowing strike aircraft to operate outside defended airspace. The weapon uses GPS guidance during the initial and midcourse phases and an infrared seeker for terminal accuracy. It carries a penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead of roughly 225 kilograms.

Local officials stated that identifiable AGM-154C-1 wreckage was collected at the scene, confirming the weapon type used in the strike. The discovery marks one of the first publicly verified uses of the JSOW in combat against a target inside Venezuela.

The glide weapon family is designed to defeat high-value, fixed infrastructure, and its configuration allows it to penetrate exterior structures before detonation. The photos released by Venezuelan authorities match the known shape, internal frame, and material composition of the C-1 variant, which includes distinct guidance and control surfaces not present on earlier JSOW models.

The AGM-154 program has been used in previous conflicts in the Middle East and Asia, but verified combat employment of the C-1 variant has been relatively limited in open-source reporting. The Venezuelan photographs provide rare visual confirmation of the munition’s use.