The UK Ministry of Defence has selected Raytheon UK's (RSL) Paveway IV to meet its precision guided bomb (PGB) requirement. The deal is worth more than £300 million ($500 million), including aircraft integration.
Paveway IV uses a second-generation GPS satellite guidance kit incorporating anti-jam and anti-spoof capabilities. For PGB the kit will be integrated with 225kg (500lb) warheads.
The MoD says it will standardise on the 225kg weapon as it causes less collateral damage than the existing 450kg standard bomb. Planned in-service date is 2007.
RSL will work with Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) in Tucson, Arizona, to provide engineering. RSL in Glenrothes, Scotland, will manufacture the guidance and control system and provide system integration. Paveway team members include Portsmouth Aviation, supplying the tail and containers; MBM Technology, providing the suspension interface and containers; while Thales Missile Electronics will develop and manufacture the "intelligent" multi-event hard target fuze.
PGB will be integrated with the BAE Systems/Boeing Harrier GR7/9, Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado GR4.
GPS guidance will provide a 24h capability not available to laser-guided weapons in poor weather. During the recent Iraq war, 45% of weapons dropped by the Royal Air Force were Raytheon's GPS/laser-guided Enhanced Paveway.
Source: Flight International
