megazone@wpi.WPI.EDU (MEGAZONE 23) (02/08/91)
From: megazone@wpi.WPI.EDU (MEGAZONE 23) Information: Paveway >From The Encyclopedia of World Air Power, Cresent Books 1980, Type: family of laser-guided bombs Powerplant: none Performance: cruising speed depends on launch speed; maximum range depends on launch height Weight: varies according to weapon: examples are GBU-2 2,064lb (938kg), GBU-10 2,052lb (932kg), M118E1 LGB 3,066lb (1394kg) Dimensions: varies according to weapon: length (GBU-10) 14ft (4.27,) Warhead: varies according to basic weapon Operators: Austrailia, Greece, Iran, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, UK, US Air Force, US Navy "The Texas Instruments Paveway laser guidance kit was developed in the mid- 1960s to allow conventional free-fall bombs to be converted into guided weapons, thus greatly increasing their accuracy. Trials began in April 1965 and the weapons were introduced in Vietnam from 1968, permitting small, dif- ficult targets such as bridges to be destroyed with a fraction of the number of attacks needed previously. The kit consists of asemblies which are attached to the nose and tail of standard bombs. The guidance and control units are indentical for all weapons, but the sizes of the canard steering surfaces and tail assemblies vary from type to type. The nose section comprises a laser seeker, small computer and four steerable control surfaces. The seeker head is mounted on a two-axis gimbal and has a ring mounted at the rear. After the weapon is released, air flowing over this ring causes the seeker assembly to weathercock into the local wind and there- fore to point approximately at the target, which is illuminated by a laser designator mounted in an aircraft or operated by ground forces. The laser energy reflected from the target is detected by a silicon quadrant in the seeker head. The on-board computer commands the control surfaces to manoeuvre the weapon until the outputs from the four elements in the quadrant are the same, indicating that the bomb is on course for its target, and this control loop continues until impact. Weapons in the Paveway family include the GBU-2, -10, -12, and -16, which are laser-guided bombs based respectively on the SUU-54/B Pave Storm cluster bomb, 2,000-lb (907-kg) Mk 84 demolition bomb, 500-lb (227-kg) Mk 82 demolition bomb, and 1,000-lb (545-kg) Mk 83 demolition bomb used by the US Navy, The Paveway kit can also be fitted to the Mk 20 Mod 2 Rockeye 500-lb (227-kg) anti-tank cluster munition, M117 750-lb (340-kg) demolition bomb, or M118E1 3,000-lb (1361-kg) general-purpose bomb. A modified version of the British Mk 13/18 1,000-lb (454-kg) bomb is being adapted for use by the Royal Air Force." >From The US War Machine, Salamander Books, 1983, Origin: Texas Instruments, USA Type: Laser-guided conventional bombs Propulsion: None Dimensions: As for original bombs plus from 6 to 20in (152-500mm) length and with folding tailfins Launch weight: As for original bombs plus about 30lb (13.6kg) Range: Typically within 3 miles (5km), depending on launch height Flight speed: Free-fall Warhead: As in original bombs "The code-name identifies the most diverse programme in history aimed at increasing the accuracy of tactical air-to-surface weapons. This USAF effort linked more than 30 separately named systems for airborne navigation, target identification and marking, all-weather/night vision, weapon guidance and many other functions, originally for the war in SE Asia. In the course of this work the "smart bombs" with laser guidance managed by the Armament Development and Test Center at Eglin AFB, from 1965, were developed in partnership with TI, using the latter's laser guidance kit, to form an integrated family of simple precision weapons. The first TI-guided LGB was dropped in April 1965. By 1971 the Paveway I family of guidance units had expanded to eight, in six main types of which the three most important were the KMU-388 (based on the 500lb, 227kg, Mk82 bomb), KMU-421 (1000lb, 454kg, Mk83) and KMU-351 (2,000lb, 907kg, Mk84) All these bombs are extremely simple to carry, requiring no aircraft modifi- cation or electrical connection; they are treated as a round of ordnance and loaded like a free-fall bomb. Carrier aircraft have included the A-1, A-4, A-6, A-7, A-10, A-37, F-4, F-5, F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-100, F-105, F-111, AV-8A, B-52 and B-57. Targets can be marked by an airborne laser, in the launch aircraft on another aircraft, or by forward troops. Like almost all Western military lasers the matched wavelength is 1.064 microns, the usual lasers (in Pave Knife, Pave Tack or various other airborne pods) being of the Nd/YAG type. More recently target illumination has been provided by the Atlis II, LTDS, TRAM, GLLD, MULE, LTM, Lantirn and TI's own FLIR/laser designator. In all cases the guidance unit is the same, the difference being confined to attachments and the various enlarged tailfins. The silicon detector array is divided into four quadrants and is mounted on the nose of a free universal- jointed housing with an annular ring tail. As the bomb falls this aligns itself with the airstream, in other words the direction of the bombs motion. The guidance computer receives signals from the quadrants and drives four control fins to equalize the four outputs. Thus, the sensor unit is kept pointing at the source of laser light, so that the bomb will impact at the same point. Electric power is provided by a thermal battery, energised at the moment of release, and power to drive the fins comes from a hot-gas generator." ############################################################################### # "Calling Garland operator 7G," EVE Email megazone@wpi.wpi.edu # # MEGAZONE, aka DAYTONA, aka BRIAN BIKOWICZ Bitnet Use a gateway. Sorry. # ###############################################################################