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The British government said on Tuesday it would commit its largest-ever tranche of military aid to Ukraine as part of a package worth £500 million ($622 million). The assistance will include further deliveries of Storm Shadow air-launched, precision-guided missiles, as well as vessels and vehicles. The Paveway IV—the latest in the Paveway series of bombs—converts unguided munitions, also known as "dumb bombs," into precision-guided weapons. They can use laser guidance or satellites to find their way to a target. "The Paveway IV will enable Ukraine to strike back" at Russian forces and target high-value assets such as command centers and...

WASHINGTON — The F-35 Lightning II program made aviation history June 12 as Royal Air Force (RAF) Test Pilot Squadron Leader Andy Edgell released two inert 500-pound dual mode Paveway IV precision-guided bombs over the Atlantic Test Ranges, the U.S. Navy reported. The inaugural weapons separation test of the Paveway IV conducted by the F-35 Lightning II Patuxent River, Md., Integrated Test Force (ITF) was a major milestone for the U.K. Royal Navy and RAF F-35 program. The test brought together the multi-role short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter and the Paveway IV — an advanced weapon...

Saudis to buy $475M in Raytheon bomb kits Raytheon has signed a contract worth $475 million to supply Saudi Arabia with Paveway bomb-guidance kits made by Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems. The direct commercial sale "cements Raytheon's long-standing commitment to Saudi Arabian industry and keeps production lines operational in the U.S.," Raytheon said in a news release. The company will partner with Saudi Arabian industry to fulfill the support-equipment portion of the contract, said Mike Jarrett, vice president of supply-chain management at Raytheon Missile Systems. About 150 of Raytheon's Tucson-area employees work to design and produce the Paveway series of bomb...

South Africa: U.S. 'Smart' Bombs for Gripen Aircraft Julius Baumann 23 July 2010 Johannesburg — THE Department of Defence has awarded US aerospace group Raytheon a contract to supply Paveway 2 laser-guided air-to-ground bombs for the South African Air Force's (SAAF) Gripen aircraft. This marks the first major sale of US defence equipment to SA in more than 25 years. The US group will provide the air force with laser-guided bomb kits that transform dumb bombs into precision- guided munitions for operational tests and evaluations on the new Gripen fighter fleet. The new bombs are due for delivery next year....

India has successfully tested locally developed laser guided bombs. While India can buy laser guided bombs from Russia, it is seen as better to design and build these weapons locally. Then there's always the desire to keep up with China, which recently introduced a new laser guided bomb; the LT-2. This weapon looks very similar to the Russian KAB-500L 1100 pound laser guided bomb. So the LT-2 may be using licensed or stolen Russian technology. The KAB-500L is very similar to the American Paveway series of laser guided bombs. That is, a dumb bomb has a guidance kit attached. Sixteen...

The U.S. Air Force has successfully tested its new Paveway II Plus laser guided bomb. The existing Paveway II bomb has a range of 14 kilometers and will hit within less than half a meter of where the laser designator is reflecting off the target. Paveway is actually a guidance kit (costing about $20,000) that is fitted to a dumb bomb, turning it into a glide bomb that homes in on the reflected laser light. The Paveway II Plus is more accurate and reliable, but the exact figures are classified. Laser guided bombs have been in use since the 1960s....

British Harrier pilot diverted bomb mid-flight to save civilians A British Harrier pilot managed to abort a bomb attack in mid-flight, steering a smart bomb away from its intended Taleban target after a group of civilians strayed into the target area, footage released by the Ministry of Defence showed today. The footage, which was shot from the camera on the jet last year but has been only now declassified, shows that the bomb had already been launched when its target, a Taleban commander in a vehicle, stopped next to a group of civilians. The RAF pilot then made the snap...

India set to acquire precision bomb technology Indo-Asian News Service Paris, June 21, 2007 India's state-run Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) is negotiating the acquisition of precision bomb technology from US arms major Raytheon. Ben Ford, senior manager of Raytheon Missile Systems, told IANS at the ongoing Paris Air Show that the company was in discussions to transfer the technology for the Enhanced Paveway-II Dual Mode GPS/Laser Guided Bombs to the OFB for their indigenous manufacture in India for use by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Procedural clearance from the US government should be available, he added. The Paveway, initially developed...

More than 30 Spartans from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y., arrived in Afghanistan in January 2006. The advance team "torch party" efforts were focused on expediting the Spartans' upcoming relief-in-place of Combined Joint Task Force 76 soldiers. U.S. Army photo Spartans Pave Way for Future Afghan Operations Members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team "torch party" are tasked to expedite the Spartans' upcoming relief-in-place of Combined Joint Task Force 76 soldiers. By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Pintagro3rd Brigade Combat Team FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, Feb. 2, 2006 — More than...