GBU-12 Paveway II

GBU-12 Paveway II

The GBU-12 PAVEWAY II laser-guided bomb is an American aerial bomb, based on the Mk 82 500-pound general-purpose bomb, but with the addition of a nose-mounted laser seeker and fins for guidance. A member of the PAVEWAY series of weapons, PAVEWAY II entered into service c. 1976. It is currently in service with U.S. Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps, Colombian Air Force, and various NATO air forces.

GBU-12 bombs (along with the balance of the PAVEWAY series) are produced by defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Raytheon began production after purchasing the product line from Texas Instruments. Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to compete with Raytheon when there was a break in production caused by transferring manufacturing out of Texas. It should be noted that "Paveway II" specifically refers to the guidance kit; rather than the weapon itself. See also GBU-16 Paveway II, where the same guidance unit is fitted to a Mk 83 1000lb bomb.

The US Government has upgraded GBU-12 production versions to include GPS guidance modes. Lockheed Martin is the sole source for US Navy purchases of this version. Raytheon sells upgraded GBU-12s to the US Government and other nations. Raytheon production of the GBU-12 is centered in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. Lockheed Martin production is centered in Pennsylvania.

Laser-guided bombs are often labeled "smart bombs" because they are able to follow a non-ballistic trajectory when laser designation of the intended target is undertaken. According to Raytheon's face sheet for the Paveway 2, 99 deliveries of guided munitions will yield a circular error probable (CEP) of only 3.6 feet, vice a CEP of 310 feet for 99 unguided bombs dropped under similar conditions.

Paveway II laser guided bombs use what is known as "bang bang" guidance. This means the bomb's fins deflect fully, rather than proportionally when it is attempting to guide to the laser spot. For example, if it sees the laser spot and determines that it should make a change it deflects its fins until it has over-corrected and then it deflects back the opposite direction creating a sinusoidal type of flight path. This type of guidance may be less efficient at times.

References

External links

* [http://www.raytheon.com/products/paveway/ Raytheon's official Paveway fact page]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/gbu-12.htm Globalsecurity.org Paveway fact page]
* [http://www.missilesandfirecontrol.com/our_news/factsheets/Product_Card-LGB-NAVY.pdf Lockheed Martin Paveway fact page]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • GBU-16 Paveway II — Armeros cargando bombas GBU 16 Paveway II en un avión de transporte. Tipo Bomba guiada País de origen …   Wikipedia Español

  • GBU-12 Paveway II — Bomba GBU 12 Paveway II. Tipo Bomba guiada País de origen …   Wikipedia Español

  • GBU-10 Paveway II — Bomba GBU 10 Paveway II. Tipo Bomba guiada País de origen …   Wikipedia Español

  • GBU-16 Paveway II — The GBU 16 Paveway II is an American Paveway series laser guided bomb, based on the Mk 83 general purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. It was introduced into service around 1976. It is used by USAF, US Navy, US Marine Corps …   Wikipedia

  • GBU-12 Paveway II — Авиабомба GBU 12 Paveway II Тип: Корректируемая авиационная бомба Страна …   Википедия

  • GBU-24 Paveway III — Bomba GBU 24 Paveway III. Tipo Bomba guiada País de origen …   Wikipedia Español

  • GBU-27 Paveway III — The GBU 27 Paveway III (Guided Bomb Unit) is a laser guided bomb with bunker buster capabilities. It is a GBU 24 Paveway III that has been redesigned to be used by the F 117A Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft.Combat historyThe GBU 27 was… …   Wikipedia

  • GBU-10 Paveway II — American Paveway series laser guided bomb, based on the Mk 84 general purpose bomb, but with laser seeker and wings for guidance. Introduced into service c. 1976. Used by USAF, US Navy, US Marine Corps, RAAF and various NATO air forces.The GBU 10 …   Wikipedia

  • GBU-24 Paveway III — Raytheon GBU 24 Family The GBU 24 is a family of laser guided bombs, a sub group of the larger Raytheon Paveway III family of weapons. The Paveway guidance package consists of a seeker package attached to the nose of the weapon, and a wing kit… …   Wikipedia

  • Paveway — GBU 24 auf der ILA 2006 Paveway (in Anspielung auf engl. to pave the way, „den Weg ebnen“) ist eine Bezeichnung für eine Reihe von US amerikanischen Präzisionsbomben. Genau genommen handelt es sich allerdings nicht um eine komplette Waffe,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”