GBU-12 Paveway II: Smart Bombs
Paveway III is a 2,000 lb (908 kg) laser–guided bomb (LGB) for use against well-protected targets. The bomb is guided to its target by a TIALD (Thermal Imaging and Laser Designation) pod that is carried on the aircraft or by a ground-based observer using a target designator….. UK AF
The Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) utilizes a 500-pound general purpose warhead. The operator illuminates a target with a laser designator and then the munition guides to a spot of laser energy reflected from the target.The munition was used during Operation Desert Storm, and, according to the Air Force, hit 88 percent of its targets. During Desert Storm the GBU-12 was dropped by F-lllFs, F-15Es, and A-6s, mostly against fixed armor. It was the F-111F tank-busting weapon of choice. Of the 4,493 GBU-12s employed, over half were dropped by the F-lllF.
There are two generations of GBU-12 LGBs: Paveway I with fixed wings and Paveway II with folding wings. Paveway II models have the following improvements: detector optics and housing made of injec- tion-molded plastic to reduce weight and cost; increased detector sensitiv- ity; reduced thermal battery delay after release; increased maximum canard deflection; laser coding; folding wings for carriage, and increased detector field of view. (Paveway II’s instantaneous field of view is thirty percent greater than that of the Paveway I’s field of view). FAS.ORG
F-35 and GBU-12 USAF
The F-35 Integrated Test Force recently performed another first-of-its-kind test when the aircraft released a laser-guided bomb against a moving target., Christopher Ball of Edwards Air Bass reported 2017
An F-35C being tested released specially built GBU-12 Paveway II guided bomb over a controlled range at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the California desert, successfully engaging a small pickup truck March 29, 2017.
According to engineer Collin O’Fallon of the 775th Flight Test Squadron, this F-35 weapons delivery accuracy test was the first from an F-35 in the 3F software configuration, which has incorporated new release logic to enhance effectiveness against moving targets, with the objective of reducing pilot workload. O’Fallon is matrixed to the 461st Flight Test Squadron “Deadly Jesters” for the testing.
The GBU-12 is a proven weapon with many years of service on multiple platforms. So these tests are designed to stress the weapon platform — the aircraft – rather than the weapon itself. For testing, the GBU-12 was built up using an explosively inert warhead, and the fuze was replaced with an inertial measurement unit to measure accelerations during employment, according to O’Fallon.
“This was really a test of the aircraft targeting system and associated weaponeering logic, and the results of this test will be used to certify this capability with a GBU-12 on the F-35.
The weaponeering logic is all the information compiled to give the pilot that one solution.
“(The pilot) doesn’t have to think about how fast the target’s going, or what direction,” O’Fallon said. “By him using this 3F capability, it’s doing all the weaponeering for him. That’s really the big thing, it’s a single-seat fighter. He’s got to do it all, so we want to do as much for him as we can.”
Paveway III is a 2,000 lb (908 kg) laser–guided bomb (LGB) for use against well-protected targets. The bomb is guided to its target by a TIALD (Thermal Imaging and Laser Designation) pod that is carried on the aircraft or by a ground-based observer using a target designator….. UK AF
Lockheed was awarded the contract in 2017: Paveway II Plus includes an enhanced guidance package that improves accuracy over legacy LGBs. Qualified for full and unrestricted operational employment in GBU-10, -12 and -16 (1,000 pound) configurations, Paveway II Plus is cleared for use on U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and international aircraft authorized to carry and release LGBs. Lockheed Martin has been a qualified supplier of Paveway II LGB kits since 2001 and has delivered over 100,000 kits to customers.
Production of the guidance kits and air foil groups for GBU-10 (2,000 pound) and GBU-12 (500 pound) LGBs began in first quarter of 2018.