The US Air Force has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for the follow-on production of Paveway II Plus Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) kits.
Under the $76m contract, the scope of delivery includes the guidance and tail assemblies for GBU-10 and GBU-12 LGBs.
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control precision guided systems manager Joe Serra said: "Our high-efficiency production lines enabled us to offer the US Air Force a best-value solution for their LGB kit requirements.
"The Paveway II Plus guidance system significantly enhances overall system performance and precision, and provides the US Air Force with a cost-effective capability."
The latest contract represents the majority share of fiscal year 2015 funding and 100% of available funding for Foreign Military Sales, the company stated.
Deliveries under this contract are expected to commence in the second quarter of 2016.
The Paveway II Plus LGB uses an enhanced laser guidance package to significantly enhance precision and reduce risk to the US and allied ground forces, when compared to the currently used Paveway II LGBs.
Compatible and interoperable with existing Paveway II equipment, handling procedures and aircrew operations, the new bombs can be carried on the USAF, the US Navy and other international manned and unmanned aircraft currently authorised to carry and release LGBs.
According to Lockheed Martin, the company is a qualified provider of all three Paveway II MK-80 series LGB variants such as GBU-10 MK-84 (2,000lb), GBU-12 MK-82 (500lb) and GBU-16 MK-83 (1,000lb), as well as the sole provider of the Enhanced Laser Guided Training Round and Dual Mode LGB kits.
To date, the company has delivered more than 140,000 training rounds, more than 70,000 Paveway II LGB kits and approximately 7,000 dual-mode systems.
Image: GBU-12 Paveway II. Photo: Night Gyr / USGov-Military-Air Force.
