OVERVIEW: The GBU-24A/B Paveway III is a laser guided bomb (LGB).


DETAILS: The GBU-24A/B Paveway III is intended for precision bombing against hardened targets.  Intended for low-level delivery, it uses a mid-course autopilot and a more sensitive seeker than earlier Paveway I and II.  The Paveway III consists of a bolt-on gimballed seeker head and Computer Control Group (CCG) and a stabilizing tail airfoil assembly attached to a conventional BLU-109/B penetrating bomb.   This converts the BLU-109/B into a laser-guided weapon that homes in on a reflected laser beam transmitted from a ground or air-based laser designator.    Unlike the earlier Paveway I and II series, the  Paveway III-series bomb uses a microprocessor to provide proportional control to the control surfaces, giving smaller control surface deflections and a smoother flight path, resulting in a significant increase in range over its predecessors. Reported accuracy is 1 meter CEP.  The BLU-109/B is capable of penetrating 4-6 feet of reinforced concrete.


NOTES:  IOC 1986.
 

SOURCES:   Jane's Air Launched Weapons "Paveway (GBU-10/11/12/16/17/24, January 01, 1997 ; Friedman, Norman. The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems, 1997-1998 Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 1998, pg. 253-54 ; Laser Guided Bombs (LGB) | NAVAIR - U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command - Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Research, Development, Acquisition, Test and Evaluation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.displayPlatform&key=8ABEFAFF-CF7B-4649-A502-38E4E0A42F37 ; Raytheon Paveway III. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app5/paveway-3.html ; BLU-109 / I-2000 / HAVE VOID - Dumb Bombs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/blu-109-specs.htm
