| GBU-27 Paveway III | |
|---|---|
 GBU-27 Paveway III | |
| Type | Laser guided bomb |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1987-present |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Texas Instruments |
| Manufacturer | Raytheon |
| Unit cost | US $ 55,600[1] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 900 kg (2,000 lb) |
| Length | 4.2 m (14 ft) |
| Diameter | 711 mm (28.0 in) |
| Effective firing range | 19 km (12 mi) |
TheGBU-27 Paveway III (Guided Bomb Unit) is alaser-guided bomb withbunker buster capabilities, it is aGBU-24 Paveway III (fitted on the warhead of theBLU-109 bomb body) that has been redesigned to be used by theF-117A Nighthawkstealthground attack aircraft. The pilots flying over Iraq during theFirst Gulf War nicknamed it the "Hammer",[2] for its considerable destructive power and blast radius.[2]
The GBU-27 was used inOperation Desert Storm. It was the weapon used in the February 13, 1991attack on the Amiriyah shelter, which resulted in the deaths of more than 400 Iraqi civilians. It was also used in a series of strikes on the Muthanna State Enterprise site during February 1991.[3]
During the1999 NATO attack onFR Yugoslavia, two of these bombs were used to destroy theAvala Tower, a landmark telecommunications and observation tower nearBelgrade.
During the2003 invasion of Iraq, theUS Air Force dropped 98 EGBU-27s on Iraqi targets.[4]
The firstforeign sale of the GBU-27 was the acquisition byIsrael of 500 units equipped with BLU-109 penetrating warheads, authorized in September 2004.[5] Delivery of such precision guided weaponry was accelerated at the request of Israel in July 2006, though the exact munition were not specified.Israeli Defense Forces officials state that otherprecision-guided munitions have been used to attackHezbollah facilities in the2006 Lebanon War.[6] However, thebunker busting technology in the GBU-27 could be directed, according to Israeli military sources, atIran or possiblySyria.[7]
As of 2011, the UK'sRAF have also ordered the GBU-27 for use inLibya.[8]
