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New Variants of Raytheon’s Enhanced Paveway in the Air
Raytheon’s family of Enhanced Paveway precision-guided munitions has recently completed trials in the UK and U.S. that push the new weapon further toward widespread service. The Enhanced Paveway is a development of the existing laser-guided Paveways that have been in service since the Vietnam War. The Enhanced variant combines GPS-targeting with the bomb’s laser seeker system — delivering what is known as dual-mode guidance — for much improved accuracy. Using GPS navigation, an Enhanced Paveway can be dropped in conditions where laser-guided weapons cannot be reliably employed, such as through smoke, haze and cloud.
Under its Precision Guided Bomb (PGB) program, Britain’s RAF is acquiring the all-new dual-mode Paveway IV. Paveway IV is a 500-lb bomb newly designed to be an accurate, low collateral damage weapon for current and future fighters like the Tornado GR.Mk 4 and Eurofighter Typhoon. The first aircraft to be integrated with the Paveway IV will be the upgraded Harrier GR.Mk 9. BAE Systems has now announced that a Harrier flew with trial (inert) Paveway IVs from Warton on May 11 to begin the PGB flight test campaign. Since then, a Harrier has flown with a load of four Paveway IVs, plus external fuel tanks.
In a separate test a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet dropped EGBU-12 Enhanced Paveways in trials over the China Lake test range. The 500-lb EGBU-12 is the latest variant of the Enhanced Paveway to be tested in the U.S., where 1,000-lb, 2,000-lb and 5,000-lb dual-mode bombs are already in service. The EGBU-12 testing, conducted in late May, is understood to be in support of a potential FMS sale to an export customer — U.S. forces have not made an acquisition decision for the weapon. Last year France conducted Enhanced Paveway trials with naval Super Etendard attack aircraft. Raytheon lists Italy, Denmark and Spain as confirmed Enhanced Paveway customers. — Robert Hewson
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