Dual Mode Paveway II Performs New Flight Tests

Released on Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Lockheed Martin and the US Navy conducted a series of successful flight tests at the Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, California, successfully releasing four GBU-12 (500-lb class) Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bombs (DMLGB) from a single F/A-18 aircraft.

These successful tests achieved complex pilot-coordinated maneuvers and the GPS/INS guidance tests used pre-programmed coordinates and the aircraft's existing targeting pod to hit the intended targets.

Complex aircraft maneuvers were performed to demonstrate the weapon's capability in various tactical scenarios. GPS/INS guided flight was demonstrated using both pre-programmed target coordinates and coordinates obtained by using the existing targeting pod.

Test results demonstrated multiple DMLGB weapons released against one target and the capability to simultaneously track a second target using laser designation. The pilot also successfully demonstrated the ability to retarget the DMLGB by reprogramming the coordinates in the weapon prior to release, which will be effective in tracking re-locatable targets.

During an urban environment operations test, the weapon was able to demonstrate critical turning maneuvers towards the intended target using GPS-aided INS guidance, successfully impacting the designated target and demonstrating its capability to minimize collateral damage.

In November 2005, the US Navy selected Lockheed Martin to develop, qualify and produce the Paveway II Dual Mode Laser Guided Bomb kits, the next-generation precision-guided weapon system. The contract calls for a 2006 procurement worth $65 million and a five-year procurement with a potential value of $266 million. The program calls for upgrades to the Navy's inventory of legacy Paveway II kits by replacing an existing Computer Control Group (CCG) system with an Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS), an all-weather guidance system that provides dual-mode guidance capability.

The DMLGB minimizes collateral damage and improves mission effectiveness by providing precision strike capabilities in all weather at extended standoff ranges. The DMLGB is a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS)-based retrofit solution to the Navy's current Paveway II Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) inventory, easily converting the legacy LGBs to the dual mode configuration using common components.

The DMLGB kits are designed and manufactured at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Archbald, Pennsylvania, where the LGB kits, Laser Guided Training Round (LGTR), specialized instrumentation and control systems and manufacturing services -- such as state-of-the-art metal crafting and electro-mechanical assemblies -- are produced for the US Air Force, US Navy and several international customers.