fbpx
Wikipedia

Paveway

February 16, 2024

Paveway is a series of laser-guided bombs (LGBs).

A Paveway III seeker head, at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London.
Paveway III at ILA airshow 2006
Top to bottom: A Paveway II computer control group, an Enhanced GBU-12, and a Laser-Guided Training Round, at the Paris Air Show 2007

Pave or PAVE is sometimes used as an acronym for precision avionics vectoring equipment; literally, electronics for controlling the speed and direction of aircraft. Laser guidance is a form of Pave.

Pave, paired with other words, is the first name for various laser systems that designate targets for LGBs, for example Pave Penny, Pave Spike, Pave Tack and Pave Knife, and for specialized military aircraft, such as AC-130U Pave Spectre, MH-53 Pave Low, and HH-60 Pave Hawk.

Development edit

The Paveway series of laser-guided bombs was developed by Texas Instruments, with the project 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, using a M117 bomb as the warhead, took place in April 1965.

Early version featured aerodynamic designs led by Richard Johnson.[1]

In January 1967 the US Air Force authorized Project 3169 as the formal engineering program for development of precision guided munitions, renewing its contract with TI in March to redesign the M117 kit, with a very aggressive timeline, projecting deployment for combat testing in the Vietnam War in one year. Direction of the program was assigned to the Guided Bomb Program Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in August and flight testing begun in November at Eglin Air Force Base under the direction of an interagency organization called the Pave Way Task Force. At that time the program had three divisions:

Paveway 1 became the emphasis of the program because Paveway 2, although considerably more accurate and capable, cost 4-5 times more per unit and was much less applicable to most targeting situations in Vietnam. Prototype weapons were sent to Southeast Asia for combat testing with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing from May to August 1968. In the combat evaluations the BOLT-117 achieved a circular error probability (CEP) of 75 feet (23 m) while the Paveway achieved a CEP of 20 feet (6.1 m) with one in every four bombs scoring a direct hit.[2][3]

Paveway kits attach to a variety of warheads, and consist of a semi-active laser (SAL) seeker, a computer control group (CCG) containing guidance and control electronics, thermal battery, and pneumatic control augmentation system (CAS). There are front control canards and rear wings for stability. The weapon guides on reflected laser energy: the seeker detects the reflected light ("sparkle") of the designating laser, and actuates the canards to guide 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 use a simple 'bang-bang' control system, where the CAS commands large canard deflections to make course corrections, resulting in a noticeable wobble. This had relatively little effect on accuracy, but expends energy quickly, 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, limited effectiveness caused the USAF to adopt the kit only for the larger 907 kg (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. The Paveway III system was also used during the Indian offensive in the Kargil War of 1999 by the Indian Air Force with the Mirage 2000 as a launch platform. Raytheon, the sole provider of Paveway III variants, is currently delivering both standard and enhanced versions to the US Government and foreign customers.

Existing LGBs in US service can be upgraded to Dual Mode Laser Guided Bombs (DMLGB) by adding GPS receivers which enable all weather employment. Lockheed Martin won the initial contract to provide DMLGBs to the US Navy (USN) in 2005, however subsequent-year money has been "zeroed" in favor of a follow-on Direct Attack Moving Target Capability (DAMTC) program. Raytheon's version, the "Enhanced Paveway II", has been contracted both within the US and abroad.

Raytheon's advanced Paveway IV 225 kg (500 lb) bomb has been in service since 2008 with Britain's RAF. In US service it is designated the GBU-49. In 2017 the F-35 program office rushed to field the GBU-49 to use its ability to strike moving targets and fill the gap left by the early retirement of the CBU-103 cluster bomb.[4]

In March 2017, Lockheed rebranded its Paveway Dual-Mode Plus weapon as the "Paragon" with the aim of competing against the laser-guided variant of the JDAM, as it offers the same capability while being "at least 30 percent cheaper" due to new, less costly microprocessors and engineering for the guidance electronics.[5]

Variants edit

The Paveway series of bombs includes:

  • GBU-10 Paveway II – Mk 84 or BLU-109 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb
  • GBU-12 Paveway II – Mk 82 500 lb (227 kg) bomb
  • GBU-16 Paveway II – Mk 83 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb
  • GBU-58 Paveway II – Mk 81 250 lb (113.4 kg) bomb
  • GBU-22 Paveway III – Mk 82 500 lb (227 kg) bomb. Developed at the same time as GBU-24, with some limited export success, but was not adopted by United States as it was felt to be too small a warhead for the desired effects at the time.
  • GBU-24 Paveway III – Mk 84/BLU-109 2,000 lb (907 kg) class bomb
  • GBU-27 Paveway III – BLU-109 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb with penetration warhead, specially designed for F-117 because the large fins of GBU-24 couldn't fit into the bomb bay of F-117.
  • GBU-28 Paveway III – During the Gulf War, the deepest and most hardened Iraqi bunkers could not be defeated by the BLU-109/B penetrator warhead, so a much more powerful "bunker buster" GBU-28 was developed. The latest warhead used in the GBU-28/B series is the BLU-122/B, a development of earlier BLU-113 on early GBU-28s.
  • Paveway IV – 500 lb (227 kg) bomb
  • GBU-48 Enhanced Paveway II – Mk 83 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb. Raytheon's Enhanced dual-mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser-only GBU-16.
  • GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II – BLU-133 500 lb (227 kg) bomb. Raytheon's Enhanced dual-mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser-only GBU-12.
  • GBU-50 Enhanced Paveway II – Mk 84 or BLU-109 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb. Raytheon's Enhanced dual-mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser-only GBU-10.
  • GBU-59 Enhanced Paveway II – Mk 81 250 lb (113.4 kg) bomb. Raytheon's Enhanced dual-mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser-only GBU-58.

Although GBU-48 etc. are the formal designation for the versions with GPS/INS, they are widely referred to as EGBU-16 etc. ("Enhanced GBU-16").[6]

Numbering systems edit

Due to the aforementioned numbering systems, there is considerable scope for confusion regarding weapons called 'Paveway X'. The numbering systems include:

  • The original numbering system from 1-3, with the different planned variants differing in types of guidance. As 2 and 3 never entered service, this numbering system is obsolete.
  • The system used currently by US forces, which numbers in chronological order
  • The system used by the RAF, which numbers earlier versions of the Paveway as 2 and 3[7] - with 2 referring to a 1,000 lb bomb and 3 referring to a 2,000 lb bomb - and Enhanced Paveway 2 and 3 to refer to GPS/INS-added versions of the same.[8] The Paveway 4[9] is the same weapon in this and the above system.

Assembly edit

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Trademark edit

Lockheed Martin and Raytheon compete to supply LGBs to the United States Air Force, and others. Raytheon claimed the exclusive right to use Paveway™ as a trademark for selling LGB-related products. Lockheed Martin claimed Paveway is a generic term in the defense industry. Lockheed objected to Raytheon's registration of Paveway in opposition proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[10] On September 27, 2011, the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decided that Paveway is a generic term, in the United States, for LGBs.[11]

Raytheon subsequently sued Lockheed Martin in Arizona federal court alleging trademark infringement, Lockheed filed counterclaims in the suit. In September, 2014 the companies agreed that Raytheon is the exclusive owner of "Paveway™" for laser-guided bombs and related goods and services and that "Paveway" is a protectable trademark, but that Raytheon will license the mark to Lockheed for use in connection with single-mode laser-guided bomb kits.[12] The two companies compete each year for U.S. and foreign orders.[13]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Precision Strike Association | Richard H. Johnson Award". www.precisionstrike.org. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
  2. ^ Poole, Walter (2013). Adapting to Flexible Response, 1960-1968. Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense. pp. 352–3.
  3. ^ John Correll (1 March 2010). "The Emergence of Smart Bombs". Air Force Magazine.
  4. ^ Drew, James; Seligman, Lara (21 February 2017). "F-35 Excels At Destroying Targets—If They Don't Move". aviationweek.com. Penton. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  5. ^ Lockheed “Paragon” Challenges in PGMs 2017-03-12 at the Wayback Machine - Airforcemag.com, 8 March 2017
  6. ^ "Raytheon Paveway II". designation-systems.net.
  7. ^ here, RAF Details. . raf.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2015-05-19.
  8. ^ here, RAF Details. . raf.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
  9. ^ here, RAF Details. . raf.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-05-16. Retrieved 2015-05-19.
  10. ^ "United States Patent and Trademark Office". ttabvue.uspto.gov. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
  11. ^ "THIS OPINION IS NOT A PRECEDENT OF THE TTAB". ttabvue.uspto.gov. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  12. ^ "Raytheon, Lockheed End IP War over Paveway Bombs - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  13. ^ "Lockheed advancing Dual Mode Plus and Scalpel bombs". flightglobal.com. 29 March 2016.

External links edit

  Media related to Paveway at Wikimedia Commons

  • Paveway - Designation Systems

February 16, 2024
paveway, series, laser, guided, bombs, lgbs, seeker, head, museum, hendon, london, airshow, 2006top, bottom, computer, control, group, enhanced, laser, guided, training, round, paris, show, 2007pave, pave, sometimes, used, acronym, precision, avionics, vectori. Paveway is a series of laser guided bombs LGBs A Paveway III seeker head at the RAF Museum in Hendon London Paveway III at ILA airshow 2006Top to bottom A Paveway II computer control group an Enhanced GBU 12 and a Laser Guided Training Round at the Paris Air Show 2007Pave or PAVE is sometimes used as an acronym for precision avionics vectoring equipment literally electronics for controlling the speed and direction of aircraft Laser guidance is a form of Pave Pave paired with other words is the first name for various laser systems that designate targets for LGBs for example Pave Penny Pave Spike Pave Tack and Pave Knife and for specialized military aircraft such as AC 130U Pave Spectre MH 53 Pave Low and HH 60 Pave Hawk Contents 1 Development 2 Variants 2 1 Numbering systems 3 Assembly 4 Trademark 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksDevelopment editThe Paveway series of laser guided bombs was developed by Texas Instruments with the project 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 using a M117 bomb as the warhead took place in April 1965 Early version featured aerodynamic designs led by Richard Johnson 1 In January 1967 the US Air Force authorized Project 3169 as the formal engineering program for development of precision guided munitions renewing its contract with TI in March to redesign the M117 kit with a very aggressive timeline projecting deployment for combat testing in the Vietnam War in one year Direction of the program was assigned to the Guided Bomb Program Office at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in August and flight testing begun in November at Eglin Air Force Base under the direction of an interagency organization called the Pave Way Task Force At that time the program had three divisions Paveway 1 laser guided munitions Paveway 2 an electro optical guidance TV munition developed by Rockwell International designated HOBO Homing Bomb of which 4 000 were eventually produced and 500 launched in combat and Paveway 3 an infrared homing system that was never deployed Paveway 1 became the emphasis of the program because Paveway 2 although considerably more accurate and capable cost 4 5 times more per unit and was much less applicable to most targeting situations in Vietnam Prototype weapons were sent to Southeast Asia for combat testing with the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing from May to August 1968 In the combat evaluations the BOLT 117 achieved a circular error probability CEP of 75 feet 23 m while the Paveway achieved a CEP of 20 feet 6 1 m with one in every four bombs scoring a direct hit 2 3 Paveway kits attach to a variety of warheads and consist of a semi active laser SAL seeker a computer control group CCG containing guidance and control electronics thermal battery and pneumatic control augmentation system CAS There are front control canards and rear wings for stability The weapon guides on reflected laser energy the seeker detects the reflected light sparkle of the designating laser and actuates the canards to guide 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 use a simple bang bang control system where the CAS commands large canard deflections to make course corrections resulting in a noticeable wobble This had relatively little effect on accuracy but expends energy quickly 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 limited effectiveness caused the USAF to adopt the kit only for the larger 907 kg 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 The Paveway III system was also used during the Indian offensive in the Kargil War of 1999 by the Indian Air Force with the Mirage 2000 as a launch platform Raytheon the sole provider of Paveway III variants is currently delivering both standard and enhanced versions to the US Government and foreign customers Existing LGBs in US service can be upgraded to Dual Mode Laser Guided Bombs DMLGB by adding GPS receivers which enable all weather employment Lockheed Martin won the initial contract to provide DMLGBs to the US Navy USN in 2005 however subsequent year money has been zeroed in favor of a follow on Direct Attack Moving Target Capability DAMTC program Raytheon s version the Enhanced Paveway II has been contracted both within the US and abroad Raytheon s advanced Paveway IV 225 kg 500 lb bomb has been in service since 2008 with Britain s RAF In US service it is designated the GBU 49 In 2017 the F 35 program office rushed to field the GBU 49 to use its ability to strike moving targets and fill the gap left by the early retirement of the CBU 103 cluster bomb 4 In March 2017 Lockheed rebranded its Paveway Dual Mode Plus weapon as the Paragon with the aim of competing against the laser guided variant of the JDAM as it offers the same capability while being at least 30 percent cheaper due to new less costly microprocessors and engineering for the guidance electronics 5 Variants editThe Paveway series of bombs includes GBU 10 Paveway II Mk 84 or BLU 109 2 000 lb 907 kg bomb GBU 12 Paveway II Mk 82 500 lb 227 kg bomb GBU 16 Paveway II Mk 83 1 000 lb 454 kg bomb GBU 58 Paveway II Mk 81 250 lb 113 4 kg bomb GBU 22 Paveway III Mk 82 500 lb 227 kg bomb Developed at the same time as GBU 24 with some limited export success but was not adopted by United States as it was felt to be too small a warhead for the desired effects at the time GBU 24 Paveway III Mk 84 BLU 109 2 000 lb 907 kg class bomb GBU 27 Paveway III BLU 109 2 000 lb 907 kg bomb with penetration warhead specially designed for F 117 because the large fins of GBU 24 couldn t fit into the bomb bay of F 117 GBU 28 Paveway III During the Gulf War the deepest and most hardened Iraqi bunkers could not be defeated by the BLU 109 B penetrator warhead so a much more powerful bunker buster GBU 28 was developed The latest warhead used in the GBU 28 B series is the BLU 122 B a development of earlier BLU 113 on early GBU 28s Paveway IV 500 lb 227 kg bomb GBU 48 Enhanced Paveway II Mk 83 1 000 lb 454 kg bomb Raytheon s Enhanced dual mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser only GBU 16 GBU 49 Enhanced Paveway II BLU 133 500 lb 227 kg bomb Raytheon s Enhanced dual mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser only GBU 12 GBU 50 Enhanced Paveway II Mk 84 or BLU 109 2 000 lb 907 kg bomb Raytheon s Enhanced dual mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser only GBU 10 GBU 59 Enhanced Paveway II Mk 81 250 lb 113 4 kg bomb Raytheon s Enhanced dual mode GPS and Laser guided version of the laser only GBU 58 Although GBU 48 etc are the formal designation for the versions with GPS INS they are widely referred to as EGBU 16 etc Enhanced GBU 16 6 Numbering systems edit Due to the aforementioned numbering systems there is considerable scope for confusion regarding weapons called Paveway X The numbering systems include The original numbering system from 1 3 with the different planned variants differing in types of guidance As 2 and 3 never entered service this numbering system is obsolete The system used currently by US forces which numbers in chronological order The system used by the RAF which numbers earlier versions of the Paveway as 2 and 3 7 with 2 referring to a 1 000 lb bomb and 3 referring to a 2 000 lb bomb and Enhanced Paveway 2 and 3 to refer to GPS INS added versions of the same 8 The Paveway 4 9 is the same weapon in this and the above system Assembly edit nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Trademark editLockheed Martin and Raytheon compete to supply LGBs to the United States Air Force and others Raytheon claimed the exclusive right to use Paveway as a trademark for selling LGB related products Lockheed Martin claimed Paveway is a generic term in the defense industry Lockheed objected to Raytheon s registration of Paveway in opposition proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office 10 On September 27 2011 the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decided that Paveway is a generic term in the United States for LGBs 11 Raytheon subsequently sued Lockheed Martin in Arizona federal court alleging trademark infringement Lockheed filed counterclaims in the suit In September 2014 the companies agreed that Raytheon is the exclusive owner of Paveway for laser guided bombs and related goods and services and that Paveway is a protectable trademark but that Raytheon will license the mark to Lockheed for use in connection with single mode laser guided bomb kits 12 The two companies compete each year for U S and foreign orders 13 See also editPaveway IV Armement Air Sol Modulaire Joint Direct Attack Munition JDAM a GPS guidance pack for a standard iron bomb made by Boeing SCALPELReferences edit Precision Strike Association Richard H Johnson Award www precisionstrike org Retrieved 2019 09 25 Poole Walter 2013 Adapting to Flexible Response 1960 1968 Historical Office Office of the Secretary of Defense pp 352 3 John Correll 1 March 2010 The Emergence of Smart Bombs Air Force Magazine Drew James Seligman Lara 21 February 2017 F 35 Excels At Destroying Targets If They Don t Move aviationweek com Penton Retrieved 21 February 2017 Lockheed Paragon Challenges in PGMs Archived 2017 03 12 at the Wayback Machine Airforcemag com 8 March 2017 Raytheon Paveway II designation systems net here RAF Details RAF Paveway II amp III raf mod uk Archived from the original on 2015 05 25 Retrieved 2015 05 19 here RAF Details RAF Enhanced Paveway II amp III raf mod uk Archived from the original on 2016 10 28 Retrieved 2016 11 21 here RAF Details RAF Paveway IV raf mod uk Archived from the original on 2015 05 16 Retrieved 2015 05 19 United States Patent and Trademark Office ttabvue uspto gov Retrieved July 4 2009 THIS OPINION IS NOT A PRECEDENT OF THE TTAB ttabvue uspto gov Retrieved October 3 2011 Raytheon Lockheed End IP War over Paveway Bombs Law360 www law360 com Retrieved October 8 2014 Lockheed advancing Dual Mode Plus and Scalpel bombs flightglobal com 29 March 2016 External links edit nbsp Media related to Paveway at Wikimedia Commons Paveway Designation Systems Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Paveway amp oldid 1195184145, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.