[sci.military] PAVE xxx?

fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance) (10/29/90)

From: fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance)

What are some of the various PAVE programs, and what do they have in
common, such that they get a PAVE name?

Apparently, PAVE LOW is the name for a Search and Rescue behind-the-lines
helicopter, PAVE SPECTRE was the development name for the AC-130 Hercules
gunship, and somebody just mentioned PAVE PAWS as a radar unit. But I
thought I had read of PAVE PAWS in the same context as PAVE LOW?

I'm confused....

Frank Vance  (713) 963-2426		fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com
Western Geophysical, Houston 		...!uunet!airgun!fvance
-- 
Frank Vance  (713) 963-2426		fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com
Western Geophysical, Houston 		...!uunet!airgun!fvance

v059l49z@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Paul C Stacy) (10/30/90)

From: v059l49z@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Paul C Stacy)

In article <1990Oct29.032929.10381@cbnews.att.com>, fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance) writes...
> 
> 
>From: fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance)
> 
>What are some of the various PAVE programs, and what do they have in
>common, such that they get a PAVE name?
> 

There is the PAVE TACK pod fitted on the F-111 (F and maybe others in the
future?).  This has a FLIR fitted and can guide laser-guided bombs.  If you've
seen the shot of the Libyan transport planes exploding when we bombed them,
that is what the shot was taken through.  I have seen it attached to the 
centerline pylon of the F-4 and F-15 (probably testing it for the E version).

There is also a PAVE SPIKE pod, which I believe does about the same thing.
It looks a little smaller that TACK does.

Perhaps someone could add to what I've said here?




				Paul

fc173108@eesun.gwu.edu (Iqbal Qazi) (10/30/90)

From: fc173108@eesun.gwu.edu (Iqbal Qazi)


If I'm not mistaken "PAVE" in general refers (somehow) to the radar
capability of the item at hand.  In other words:  I don't know either.

I've also heard of PAVE TACK, which I think is a land-based radar
tracking system.  I believe this is the one with many radars pointing
in different directions outward from the US.  (I.E. there's one in
Texas pointing south, one in N. Dakota or somewheres pointing north,
etc.)  I recall reading that these radars could identify and track a
metal object the size of a grapefruit _several_ (~1K) miles away.

If anyone has any info. about this or PAVE xxx in general, I look
forward to reading it.


Iqbal

jabishop@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Jonathan A Bishop) (11/01/90)

From: jabishop@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Jonathan A Bishop)
fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance) writes:

>What are some of the various PAVE programs, and what do they have in
>common, such that they get a PAVE name?

>Apparently, PAVE LOW is the name for a Search and Rescue behind-the-lines
>helicopter, PAVE SPECTRE was the development name for the AC-130 Hercules
>gunship, and somebody just mentioned PAVE PAWS as a radar unit. But I
>thought I had read of PAVE PAWS in the same context as PAVE LOW?

     Yes, Pave Paws is the name of a system of surveillance radars in
Alaska.
     Two others: Pave Tack is a laser target illuminator, while Pave Penny
is an LGB.

[mod.note: LGB, I presume, is "Laser Guided Bomb."  Anyway, all this leaves
the initial question unanswered:  "What does PAVE mean ?"  Does the Air
Force have an asphalt fetish ?  - Bill ]

-- 
jabishop@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu

"Ground Control to Major Tom: Your circuit's dead; there's something wrong.
Can you hear me, Major Tom?" -- David Bowie

christ@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (Chris Thompson) (11/03/90)

From: christ@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (Chris Thompson)
In article <1990Oct29.032929.10381@cbnews.att.com> fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance) writes:
>
>
>From: fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance)
>
>What are some of the various PAVE programs, and what do they have in
>common, such that they get a PAVE name?
>
>Frank Vance 	fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com


There is also, I believe, something called Pave Penny.  I'm pretty sure
that this is something included in the low-vision equipment suite on
attack choppers. Could be wrong, there is something nagging at the back of
my head that says it is a targeting laser....anyway, you get the idea. 

One of the engineers at Sikorsky has a daughter named (can you guess?)
Penelope....

CT


-- 
"Never count a human dead until you've seen the body.  And even
then you can make a mistake".
			-Lady Fenring

tobin@eklektix.com (Mike Tobin) (11/06/90)

From: tobin@eklektix.com (Mike Tobin)
In article <1990Nov1.024432.11384@cbnews.att.com> jabishop@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Jonathan A Bishop) writes:
>
>
>From: jabishop@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Jonathan A Bishop)
>fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance) writes:
>
>>What are some of the various PAVE programs, and what do they have in
>>common, such that they get a PAVE name?

The Air Force has a series of nicknames they use for electronic systems
(HAVE, PAVE, CONSTANT and SENTINEL are ones I can think of).  Can't find
my list of how they're passed out, but the HAVEs tend to be
communications systems, the PAVEs tend to be sensors, the CONSTANTs are
command post data systems and the SENTINELs tend to intelligence data
systems. I say "tend" because there seem to be a lot of contradictions.

>
>     Yes, Pave Paws is the name of a system of surveillance radars in
>Alaska.

PAVES PAWS is a phased array radar for detection of SLBMs.  There's
three of them: Cape Cod AFS, Mass; Robins AFB, Georgia; and Beale AFB,
Calif.  BMEWS the ICBM warning site is in Alaska.  COBRA DANE (add COBRA
to the list) is at the end of the Alleutians (sp?), but it's for
watching SoviEt test launches.

mike Tobin
planck!hercules!tobin@acsu.buffalo.edu

gwh%monsoon.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert) (11/07/90)

From: gwh%monsoon.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert)

In article <1990Nov2.201718.28047@cbnews.att.com> christ@sci.ccny.cuny.edu (Chris Thompson) writes:
>
>There is also, I believe, something called Pave Penny.  I'm pretty sure
>that this is something included in the low-vision equipment suite on
>attack choppers. Could be wrong, there is something nagging at the back of
>my head that says it is a targeting laser....anyway, you get the idea. 

The Pave Penny is the A-10's laser tracking pod.  For identifying laser spots
placed by ground and other airborne designators...


  == George William Herbert ==   **There are only two truly infinite things,**
 == JOAT for Hire: Anything, ==  *   the universe and stupidity.  And I am   *
=======Anywhere, My Price======= *  unsure about the universe.  -A.Einstein  *
 ==   gwh@ocf.berkeley.edu   ==  *********************************************
  ==     ucbvax!ocf!gwh     == The OCF Gang:  Making Tomorrow's Mistakes Today

carlo@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU (Carlo KOPP) (11/15/90)

From: carlo@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU (Carlo KOPP)

In <1990Oct29.032929.10381@cbnews.att.com> fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance) writes:



>From: fvance@airgun.wg.waii.com (Frank Vance)

>What are some of the various PAVE programs, and what do they have in
>common, such that they get a PAVE name?

Historically the Pave prefix has been used by the USAF in designating systems
with some _precision_ capability, this practice dates back to the early 
seventies or late sixties. Of recent the usage appears to have broadened, in 
that the term has also been used in association with RPVs (Pave Tiger) etc.

>Apparently, PAVE LOW is the name for a Search and Rescue behind-the-lines
>helicopter, PAVE SPECTRE was the development name for the AC-130 Hercules
>gunship, and somebody just mentioned PAVE PAWS as a radar unit. But I
>thought I had read of PAVE PAWS in the same context as PAVE LOW?

The oldest instances I can recall of the usage date back to the early seventies,
eg the Pave Nail, Pave Spike laser designator pods, and the Pave Penny spot 
tracker pod . The most well known system at this time is the Ford Aerospace 
AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack thermal imaging/laser ranging/designating pod carried by 
the USAF F-111F (48th TFW currently in Turkey) and the Australian RAAF F-111C 
(1 and 6 Sqn at Amberley, Queensland).  

The Pave Low family of helicopters are role modified CH/HH-53 helicopters with 
refuelling probes, Flir, extensive electronic warfare systems, additional nav 
equipment, Miniguns and long range fuel tanks. These aircraft are used for 
night/IFR insertion and extraction of personnel from hostile areas, eg shot 
down aviators, agents or special forces units.

>I'm confused....

Don't be, the USAF scheme scheme for allocating program names appears to be 
quite arbitrary, is there anybody out there who could shed a bit of light on 
how it is done ?

Carlo Kopp	carlo@gaia.gcs.oz.au, carlo@bruce.cs.monash.oz.au

Australian Aviation (journal)