GBU-10 Paveway II

The Paveway program commenced in 1964, with the first test flight occurring in April 1965. In January 1967, the US Air Force established Project 3169 as the formal engineering program for the development of precision-guided munitions. Combat testing of early prototypes took place in Southeast Asia in 1968. The Paveway II series entered service in the early 1970s as an improvement over the original Paveway I design.

The GBU-10 Paveway II is a laser-guided munition that utilizes either the Mk 84 general-purpose warhead or the BLU-109 penetrator. The system consists of a semi-active laser seeker, a computer control group containing guidance and control electronics, a thermal battery, and a pneumatic control augmentation system. It is equipped with front control canards and pop-out rear wings, which provide improved glide performance over the first generation. The weapon functions by detecting reflected laser energy from a designator and actuating the canards to guide the bomb toward the target. It employs a "bang-bang" control system, where the control augmentation system commands large canard deflections for course correction. Due to the energy expenditure associated with this control method, the weapon is frequently released on a ballistic trajectory, with laser guidance activated during the final phase of flight to refine the impact point. The GBU-50 is a dual-mode variant that incorporates GPS receivers into the GBU-10 architecture for all-weather employment.

The GBU-10 is widely deployed and integrated onto numerous strike platforms. Compatible aircraft include the B-52, B-1, B-2, F-111F, F-117, F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-35, A-10, and MQ-9. It is also operated on international platforms such as the Tornado, Mirage 2000, Rafale, and Su-30MKM. The Paveway series was first utilized in combat during the Vietnam War, where prototype weapons achieved a circular error probability of 20 feet. The weapon system is exported to several countries and forms a standard component of many air force inventories.