
The French Air Force and Raytheon have successfully completed a demonstration of a penetrator variant of an Enhanced Paveway II GBU-50 bomb from a Mirage 2000D multirole fighter aircraft.
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The bomb scored a direct hit against a reinforced concrete slab, meeting all flight objectives during the demonstration at an undisclosed location.
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Raytheon Air Warfare Systems vice-president Mike Jarrett said the company is committed to delivering GBU-50’s unique capabilities to the French customer.
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"Raytheon offers a proven, cost-effective dual mode solution that is fully compatible with the MK-84 and BLU-109," Jarrett said.
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An enhanced dual-mode GPS and laser guided version of Raytheon’s laser-only GBU-10 bomb, the GBU-50 provides the 2,000lb MK-84 or BLU-109 penetrator with an all-weather GPS navigation capability, along with precision terminal laser guidance in the battlefield."
The munition combines a full range of selectable terminal impact angles together with a mature combat-proven, height-of-burst to maximise operational capabilities of both MK-84 and BLU-109 penetrators during combat missions.
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Each Enhanced Paveway II bombs’ guidance and control section is fully compatible with a wide range of warheads, eliminating the requirement for warfighters to employ a different guidance and control section for different warhead use.
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The Paveway II is designed to transform ‘dumb’ unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons using laser and GPS-guidance systems for tactical air-to-ground warfare.
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Fired by the Litening III targeting pod, or from troops on the ground using a laser target designator, the weapon enables effective destruction of small, hardened targets, including main battle tanks and other armoured vehicles, with minimum collateral damage.
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Currently operational with the US, the UK, Canada, Colombia and several Nato air forces, the Paveway family of laser-guided and GPS-guided munitions have been employed extensively during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Unified Protector.
Image: The French Air Force and Raytheon used a Mirage 2000D fighter for Enhanced Paveway II GBU-50 demonstration. Photo: courtesy of Arpingstone.