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Paveway is a series oflaser-guided bombs (LGBs).
Pave orPAVE is sometimes used as an acronym forprecision avionics vectoring equipment; literally, electronics for controlling the speed and direction ofaircraft.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 examplePave Penny,Pave Spike,Pave Tack andPave Knife, and for specialized military aircraft, such asAC-130U Pave Spectre,MH-53 Pave Low, andHH-60 Pave Hawk.
The Paveway series of laser-guided bombs was developed byTexas 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 aM117 bomb as the warhead, took place in April 1965.
Early version featured aerodynamic designs led byRichard 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 theVietnam War in one year. Direction of the program was assigned to the Guided Bomb Program Office atWright-Patterson Air Force Base in August and flight testing begun in November atEglin 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 the8th Tactical Fighter Wing from May to August 1968. In the combat evaluations theBOLT-117 achieved acircular 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 arefront 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 namedPaveway I, gave way in the early 1970s to the improvedPaveway 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 largecanard 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 thelaser designator only late in the weapon's flight to refine the impact point.
In 1976, theUSAF issued a requirement for a new generation, dubbedPaveway 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 smallerMk 82 weapons, limited effectiveness caused theUSAF to adopt the kit only for the larger 907 kg (2,000 lb) class weapons (theMk 84 andBLU-109). Paveway III guidance kits were also used on theGBU-28/B penetration bomb fielded at the close of the1991 Gulf War. The Paveway III system was also used during the Indian offensive in theKargil War of 1999 by theIndian Air Force with theMirage 2000 as a launch platform.Raytheon, the sole provider of Paveway III variants, is currently delivering both standard and enhanced versions to theUS Government and foreign customers.
Existing LGBs in US service can be upgraded to Dual Mode Laser Guided Bombs (DMLGB) by addingGPS receivers which enable allweather 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 advancedPaveway IV 225 kg (500 lb) bomb has been in service since 2008 withBritain'sRAF. 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 theCBU-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 theJDAM, as it offers the same capability while being "at least 30 percent cheaper" due to new, less costlymicroprocessors and engineering for the guidance electronics.[5]
The Paveway series of bombs includes:
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]
Due to the aforementioned numbering systems, there is considerable scope for confusion regarding weapons called 'Paveway X'. The numbering systems include:
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Lockheed Martin andRaytheon compete to supply LGBs to theUnited States Air Force, and others. Raytheon claimed the exclusive right to usePaveway™ as atrademark for selling LGB-related products. Lockheed Martin claimedPaveway is a generic term in the defense industry. Lockheed objected to Raytheon's registration ofPaveway inopposition proceedings before theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office.[10] On September 27, 2011, the USPTOTrademark Trial and Appeal Board decided thatPaveway is a generic term, in the United States, for LGBs.[11]
Raytheon subsequently suedLockheed Martin in Arizonafederal court allegingtrademark infringement, Lockheed filedcounterclaims in the suit. In September, 2014 the companies agreed that Raytheon is the exclusive owner of "Paveway™" forlaser-guided bombs and related goods and services and that "Paveway" is a protectabletrademark, but that Raytheon will license the mark to Lockheed for use in connection with single-modelaser-guided bomb kits.[12] The two companies compete each year for US and foreign orders.[13]
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