Paveway IV Scores Hit on UK Test Flight

Released on Monday, July 17, 2006

Raytheon Company's Paveway IV dual-mode precision guided weapon was successfully dropped from a United Kingdom Royal Air Force Harrier GR9 in a test over the Aberporth Range in Wales. The test saw the weapon hit within requirements from its intended target.

Paveway IV is the next generation of the combat-proven Paveway family of precision guided munitions. It is jointly developed by Raytheon Systems Limited in the U.K. and Raytheon Missile Systems in the United States.

Paveway IV, developed from the foundation of the combat-proven Enhanced Paveway II, offers warfighters expanded capabilities. These include the highly lethal penetrating 500-pound MK82 warhead, height-of-burst sensor, advanced programmable fuze, in-weapon LAR (launch acceptability region) generation and advanced guidance algorithm that takes full advantage of the new warhead while maximizing its fly-out performance.

Paveway IV also features MEMS IMU (microelectro-mechanical space system inertial measurement unit) that provides required accuracy using a more compact, less expensive system. Also featured is the RAPToR (Raytheon Anti-jam Protection Technology Receiver), the most advanced military GPS technology available. Production deliveries are scheduled to begin in September.

Additional drops are planned to further demonstrate the weapon's expanded capabilities. This successful test marks a significant milestone for the next-generation, highly capable weapon system developed and produced in a global market environment. Paveway IV offers the warfighter expanded capabilities in a proven precision strike weapons family.

Raytheon's legacy of more than 35 years of precision guided bomb development and manufacturing experience has resulted in more than 250,000 Paveway precision guided weapons delivered to the U.S. and more than 35 allied nations for use on 25 different aircraft. Paveway was the most widely used precision munition in Operation Iraqi Freedom. More than 8,700 were dropped.