Paveway Laser Guided Bomb

Fact Sheet

.....Laser-guided weapons were first developed in the United States in the early 1960s. The USAF issued the first development contracts in 1964, leading to the development of the Paveway series, which was used operationally in Vietnam starting in 1968. Although there were a variety of technical and operational problems, the results were generally positive. LGBs proved to offer a much higher degree of accuracy than unguided weapons, but without the expense, complexity, and limitations of guided air-to-ground missiles like the AGM-12 Bullpup. The LGB proved particularly effective against difficult fixed targets like bridges, which previously had required huge loads of "dumb" ordnance to sever.

.....In the wake of this success, other nations began development of similar weapons in the late 1960s and early 1970s, while US weapons were refined based on combat experience.

.....The USAF and other air forces are currently seeking to upgrade their LGBs with GPS guidance as a back-up. These weapons, such as the USAF Enhanced Paveway, use laser designation for precision attacks, but contain an inertial navigation system with GPS receiver for back-up, so that if the target illumination is lost or broken, the weapon will continue to home in on the GPS coordinates of the original target.