Paveway
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Paveway is the name given to a series of American laser-guided bombs. PAVE is actually an acronym standing for Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment, and was also used for the names of various laser designator pods used with these weapons, including:
It has also been used for military aircraft variants equipped with specialized avionics, such as the AC-130U Pave Spectre and MH-60 Pave Hawk.
The Paveway series of laser-guided bombs was developed by Texas Instruments starting in 1964. The program was conducted on a shoestring budget, but the resultant emphasis on simplicity and economical engineering proved to be a benefit, and a major advantage over other more complex guided weapons. The first test weapon, using a Mk 117 bomb as the warhead, took place in April 1965. Prototype weapons were sent to Vietnam for combat testing starting in 1968.
Paveway is a kit that attaches to standard unguided bombs, consisting of a seeker unit with a thermal battery to provide electrical power, a set of front fins to provide course correction, and a set of rear wings to allow the weapon to glide towards the target rather than free-falling. The weapon is guided by passive laser homing: the seeker detects the reflected light ("sparkle") of the designating laser, and actuates the fins to steer the bomb toward the designated point.
The original Paveway series, retroactively named Paveway I, gave way in the early 1970s to the improved Paveway II, which had a simplified, more reliable seeker and pop-out rear wings to improve the weapon's glide performance. Both Paveway I and Paveway II used a simple 'bang-bang' guidance system, where the seeker used large fin deflections to make course corrections, resulting in a noticeable wobble. This had relatively little effect on accuracy, but wasted energy, limiting effective range. As a consequence, most users release Paveway I and II weapons in a ballistic trajectory, activating the laser designator only late in the weapon's flight to refine the impact point.
In 1976 the USAF issued a requirement for a new generation, dubbed Paveway III, that finally entered service in 1986. The Paveway III system used a much more sophisticated seeker with a wider field of view and proportional guidance, minimizing the energy loss of course corrections. Paveway III has a considerably longer glide range and greater accuracy than Paveway II, but it is substantially more expensive, limiting its use to high-value targets. Although Paveway III kits were developed for the smaller Mk 82 weapons, aerodynamic instability and limited effectiveness caused the USAF to adopt the kit only for the larger 2,000 lb-class weapons (the Mk 84 and BLU-109. Paveway III guidance kits were also used on the GBU-28/B penetration bomb fielded at the close of the 1991 Gulf War.
An advanced Paveway IV series is being developed for export, including Britain's RAF, but it appears that the US is committed instead to the small-diameter bomb program.
Existing Paveway kits in US service are being modified with GPS receivers to enhance their accuracy in poor weather conditions.
The Paveway series of bombs includes:
- GBU-10 Paveway II with a Mk 84 2000 lb (909 kg) warhead
- GBU-12 Paveway II with a Mk 82 500 lb (227 kg) warhead
- GBU-16 Paveway II with a Mk 83 1000 lb (454 kg) warhead
- GBU-24 Paveway III with a Mk 84 2000 lb (909 kg) warhead
- GBU-27 Paveway III with a BLU-109 2000 lb (909 kg) penetration warhead
- Paveway IV 500 lb (227 kg) warhead
The current Paveway bombs are produced by Raytheon.
See also
- Laser designator
- JDAM (a similar fitment of guidance electronics to a standard iron bomb, built by the Boeing corporation)