- GBU-16 Paveway II
The GBU-16 Paveway II is an American
Paveway -serieslaser-guided bomb , based on the Mk 83general-purpose bomb , but withlaser seeker and wings for guidance. It was introduced into service around 1976. It is used byUSAF ,US Navy ,US Marine Corps , and variousNATO air forces. It uses a 1,000 pound general purpose warhead. The bomb in the GBU-16 Paveway II is a 1,000 pound Mk 83 bomb.GBU-16 bombs (along with the balance of the PAVEWAY series) are produced by defence giants
Lockheed Martin andRaytheon . Raytheon began production after purchasing the product line fromTexas Instruments . Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to compete with Raytheon when there was a break in production caused by transferring manufacturing out of Texas.Raytheon production of the GBU-16 is centered in Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Lockheed Martin production is centered in Pennsylvania.
Laser Guided Bombs are often labeled as "
smart bomb s", despite requiring external input in the form of laser designation of the intended target. According to Raytheon's fact sheet for the PAVEWAY 2, 99 deliveries of guided munitions will yield acircular error probable (CEP) of only 3.6 feet, vice a CEP of 310 feet for 99 unguided bombs dropped under similar conditions.External links
* [http://www.raytheon.com/products/paveway/ Raytheon's official Paveway fact page]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/gbu-12.htm Globalsecurity.org Paveway fact page]
* [http://www.missilesandfirecontrol.com/our_news/factsheets/Product_Card-LGB-NAVY.pdf Lockheed Martin Paveway fact page]
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