Raytheon (Texas Instruments)Paveway II
(GBU-10/B,GBU-12/B,GBU-16/B,GBU-17/B,GBU-48/B,GBU-49/B,GBU-50/B,GBU-51/B,GBU-52/B,GBU-58/B,GBU-59/B,GBU-73/B)

History and General Description

ThePaveway I laser-guided bombs had been used by the USAF very successfully in the later phasesof the Vietnam war. ThePaveway II follow-on development rectified two major shortcomings of the first version: the ComputerControl Group (CCG) was significantly simpler and therefore cheaper, and the fixed tailfins were replaced by foldable ones. The latterfeature combined the advantages of both the "long wing" and "short wing" versions of thePaveway I airfoil groups - high speeddelivery and long stand-off range. It also allowed for easier ground handling and more compact storage and carriage. Prototype testingofPaveway II guidance kits started in 1974, and production began in 1977.

Paveway II guidance kits were produced for the 2000 lb class MK 84 and BLU-109/B, the 1000 lb MK 83 and the 500 lb MK 82bombs (seeVariants section below for a detailed rundown of all versions). Including foreign sales, more than100000Paveway II kits have been built, and production and upgrades are still continuing. The primary manufacturer forPaveway II is Raytheon, building the MAU-169( )/B series of CCGs. In the early 2000s, Lockheed Martin established itself as asecond source, and currently produces the MAU-209( )/B CCG, which is interchangeable with the MAU-169( )/B. The current version ofthe MAU-209 is the MAU-209B/B, which has completely replaced the original MAU-209/B.

Photo: Texas Instruments

Paveway II family (GBU-10E/B,GBU-12D/B,GBU-16B/B)

In good conditions, aPaveway II LGB has an accuracy of about 6 m (20 ft) CEP. However, laser guidance doesn't work very wellin bad weather, and when the illuminating laser is switched off for any reason, guidance is completely lost. To overcome theseshortcomings, a GPS-aided inertial add-on package forPaveway II LGBs was developed (as was done forPaveway III). GPS/INS-enabled LGBs are frequently referred to as EGBUs (E = Enhanced). So far,Raytheon-builtPaveway II EGBUs have primarily been produced for export, and have already been used in combat by the BritishRoyal Air Force over Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lockheed Martin has developed itsDMLGB (Dual-Mode LGB) GPS/INS upgrade forPaveway II, and in November 2005,the company received a U.S. Navy contract for further development and eventual production ofDMLGB kits to upgrade theNavy'sPaveway II stockpile.Primary focus is on the 500 lb GBU-12/B series, but the 1000 lb GBU-16/B and 2000 lb GBU-10/B are planned to follow.

Variants

GBU-10/B, GBU-50/B

TheGBU-10/B series coversPaveway I andPaveway II LGBs with warheads in the2000 lb class. The following warheads are used in GBU-10/B series LGBs:

• MK 84: Standard 2000 lb LDGP (Low-Drag General Purpose) bomb
• BLU-109/B: 2000 lb class penetrator warhead
• BLU-117/B: In place of the MK 84, the U.S. Navy also uses the BLU-117/B warhead. The BLU-117/B is externally identical to theMK 84, but uses the PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive and has external protective coating.

The designationGBU-50/B covers RaytheonEnhanced Paveway II GPS/INS-equipped GBU-10/B variants, which are informallyalso known asEGBU-10.

Photo: viaAir Power Austrlia

GBU-10/B (exact version unknown, either GBU-10C/B, -10D/B or -10E/B)

Known designations of GBU-10/B and GBU-50/BPaveway II variants include:

Notes:

1. The KMU-351( )/B kits consist of the MAU-169( )/B CCG and MXU-651/B airfoil group.
2. There are no KMU-351( )/B designations known for GBU-10E/B and later versions. It's possible that KMU-351F/B, -351G/B etc. were assigned,but there is no evidence to back this up. On the other hand, it could be that the KMU nomenclature for complete kits was abandoned atsome time, because the only changing component appears to be the CCG.
3. The MAU-169C/B and -169G/B (and therefore the GBU-10F/B and -10K/B) were apparently produced in small numbers only or not at all.
4. It can be assumed that the USAF uses the BLU-109/B while the U.S. Navy uses the thermally protected BLU-109A/B version.
5. It is unclear, which GBU-10( )/B series designations apply to GBU-10s with MAU-169H/B, J/B and MAU-209( )/B CCGs. Most likely nonew series letters were assigned, and the all-up rounds are still known as GBU-10E/B and -10J/B for the MK 84 and BLU-109 warheads,respectively.

GBU-12/B,GBU-49/B,GBU-51/B,GBU-52/B, GBU-73/B

TheGBU-12/B series coversPaveway I andPaveway II LGBs with warheads in the500 lb class. The following warheads are used in GBU-12/B series LGBs:

• MK 82: Standard 500 lb LDGP (Low-Drag General Purpose) bomb
• BLU-111/B: In place of the MK 82, the U.S. Navy also uses the BLU-111/B warhead. The BLU-111/B is externally identical to theMK 82, but uses the PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive. The BLU-111A/B variant, the version actually used by the Navy, has externalprotective coating.

The designation seriesGBU-49(V)/B covers RaytheonEnhanced Paveway II GPS/INS-equipped GBU-12/B variants, which are informally also known asEGBU-12.

TheGBU-51/B uses theBLU-126/B LCDB (Low Collateral Damage Bomb) warhead. It is externally identical to theBLU-111( )/B, but is filled with less explosives for a reduced fragmentation pattern blast radius. The LCDB was developedby the U.S. Navy for use in situations where friendly forces and/or civilians are close to the target.

TheGBU-12F/B andGBU-52/B are Lockheed MartinDMLGB variants of the GBU-12( )/B and GBU-51/B,respectively.

Photo: U.S. Navy

GBU-12/B (exact version unknown, either GBU-12B/B, -12C/B or -12D/B)

The designationGBU-73/B refers to the Lockheed MartinParagon 500 lb classPaveway II guided bomb.It is an improved version of the GBU-12F/BDMLGB, and was formerly known as the Dual ModePlus LGB.Compared to theDMLGB,Paragon, which has been in development since at least 2016, has improved optics and a new control actuation system.

Photo: Lockheed Martin

GBU-73/B

Known designations of GBU-12/B, GBU-49/B, GBU-51/B and GBU-52/BPaveway II variants include:

Notes:

1. The KMU-388( )/B kits consist of the MAU-169( )/B CCG and MXU-650/B airfoil group.
2. There are no KMU-388( )/B designations known for GBU-12D/B and later versions. It's possible that KMU-388D/B, -388E/B etc. were assigned,but there is no evidence to back this up. On the other hand, it could be that the KMU nomenclature for complete kits was abandoned atsome time, because the only changing component appears to be the CCG.
3. The MAU-169C/B (and therefore the GBU-12E/B) was apparently produced in small numbers only or not at all.
4. It is unclear, which GBU-12( )/B series designations apply to GBU-12s with MAU-169H/B, J/B and MAU-209( )/B CCGs. Most likely nonew series letters were assigned, and the all-up rounds are still known as GBU-12D/B.
5. The GBU-49(V)1/B and (V)2/B variants use laser guidance kits with NATO 192 codes, while the (V)3/B uses a kit with non-NATO codes.

GBU-16/B,GBU-48/B

TheGBU-16/B series coversPaveway II LGBs with warheads in the1000 lb class. The following warheads are used in GBU-16/B series LGBs:

• MK 83: Standard 1000 lb LDGP (Low-Drag General Purpose) bomb
• BLU-110/B: In place of the MK 83, the U.S. Navy also uses the BLU-110/B warhead. The BLU-110/B is externally identical to theMK 83, but uses the PBXN-109 thermally insensitive explosive. The BLU-110A/B and -110B/B variants, which are the ones actually used by theNavy, have external protective coating.

The designation seriesGBU-48(V)/B covers RaytheonEnhanced Paveway II GPS/INS-equipped GBU-16/B variants, which are informally also known asEGBU-16.

Photo: U.S. Navy

GBU-16/B (exact version unknown, either GBU-16/B, -16A/B or -16B/B)

Known designations of GBU-16/B and GBU-48/B variants include:

Notes:

1. The KMU-455( )/B kits consist of the MAU-169( )/B CCG and MXU-667/B airfoil group.
2. There are no KMU-455( )/B designations known for GBU-16A/B and later versions. It's possible that KMU-455A/B, -455B/B etc. were assigned,but there is no evidence to back this up. On the other hand, it could be that the KMU nomenclature for complete kits was abandoned atsome time, because the only changing component appears to be the CCG.
3. The MAU-169C/B (and therefore the GBU-16C/B) was apparently produced in small numbers only or not at all.
4. It is unclear, which GBU-16( )/B series designations apply to GBU-16s with MAU-169H/B, J/B and MAU-209( )/B CCGs. Most likely nonew series letters were assigned, and the all-up rounds are still known as GBU-16B/B.

GBU-17/B

TheGBU-17/B was to be a HSM (Hard Structure Munition) penetrator warhead with aPaveway II guidance kit,but this version was not built.

GBU-58/B,GBU-59/B

TheGBU-58/B is aPaveway II LGB with a 250 lbMK 81 warhead, and theGBU-59/B is the same warheadwith anEnhanced Paveway II GPS/INS guidance kit. The airfoil group of both variants is designated MXU-1006/B.

InertPaveway II LGBs

The LGTR (Laser Guided Training Round) is an inert cylindrical bomb body of 10 cm (4 in) diameter with aPaveway IIguidance kit, and emulates the GBU-10( )/B, GBU-12( )/B and GBU-16( )/B live munitions. It is used by the U.S. Navy for operationalPaveway II training to preserve the stockpile of live bombs and their guidance kits. The LGTR comes in several versions,including theBDU-57/B,BDU-59/B,BDU-59A/B,BDU-59B/B,BDU-60/B andBDU-60A/B (the BDU-60( )/Bseries is usually referred to as LGTR II). Since 1992, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 50000 LGTRs to the U.S. Navy, andproduction is continuing.

Photo: Lockheed Martin

LGTR (exact version unknown)

During the war in Iraq in 2003, the U.S. Navy reportedly fitted a few concrete-filledBDU-45/B 500 lb dummy bombs withPaveway II guidance kits, and dropped them on selected unprotected urban targets (to prevent the usual high number of civiliancasualties when bombing urban terrain). These guided "concrete bombs" were sometimes called "GBU-45", but this is apparently not anofficial designation.

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!

Data forGBU-10E/B,GBU-10J/B,GBU-12B/B,GBU-16/B, LGTR:

Main Sources

[1]GlobalSecurity.org Website
[2]Raytheon Website
[3]Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control Website
[4] Norman Friedman: "World Naval Weapons Systems, 1997/98", Naval Institute Press, 1997
[5] USAF nomenclature records for GBU series designations

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