Raytheon has received a contract to supply its combat-proven Paveway II precision-guided munitions to an undisclosed international military customer.
Valued at $106m, the direct commercial sale contract covers delivery of Paveway kits for both GBU-12 and GBU-58 laser guided bombs (LGBs).
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Raytheon Missile Systems Air Warfare Systems vice president Harry Schulte said the Paveway bombs are continuously being selected by global customers for protection of their warfighters and citizens.
"This contract further demonstrates Raytheon’s long-standing commitment to its international partners," Schulte added.
Jointly manufactured by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, Paveway II is an aerial bomb designed to transform unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons using laser and global-positioning guidance systems for tactical air-to-ground warfare missions.
Considered a derivative of the Mk 82 general-purpose bomb, the munition features a nose-mounted laser seeker and fins for enhanced guidance, and enables effective destruction of small, hardened targets, including main battle tanks and other armoured vehicles, with minimum collateral damage.
Additional features include detector optics for weight reduction, enhanced detector sensitivity and maximum canard deflection, reduced thermal battery delay after release, increased laser coding detector field of view (FOV), as well as folding wings for carriage.
Having entered into service in 1976, the bomb is currently operational with the US Air Force and Navy, US Marine Corps, Royal Canadian Air Force, Colombian Air Force, as well as several other Nato air forces worldwide.
The company has not revealed the number of units ordered and delivery schedule.
Image: A USAF technician loads a GBU-12 Paveway II bomb onto an A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft. Photo: US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Marie Harmon/Released.
