ARCHBALD, Pa., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. defense giant Lockheed Martin is producing paveway II Plus Laser Guided bomb kits for the U.S. Air Force and Navy under a $34.5 million contract.
Delivery of the kits is to begin in the second quarter of this year.
Paveway II Plus LGB guidance kits, through the use of a newly integrated combined hardware and software solution, significantly improve weapon accuracy and reduce risk to U.S. and allied ground forces when compared to legacy paveway LGBs, the company said.
"Lockheed Martin's proven paveway II Plus LGB provides warfighters a reliable precision capability to help them achieve their mission in today's complex battlefield environments," said Joe Serra, senior manager for Precision Guided Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "This latest contract will provide for delivery of the first full-rate production quantities of the improved paveway II Plus LGB, a major milestone on the program."
The Air Force last October completed a Force Development Evaluation Program at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., for paveway II Plus LGB that included GBU-10 and GBU-12 weapons released from F-15 Eagle and F-16D Viper aircraft. Operational test scenarios evaluated system performance compared to legacy paveway II LGB weapons.
The new system doesn't require upgrades or modifications to aircraft, ground handling equipment or logistics support and continues the same basic paveway II concept of operation for employment by converting conventional gravity weapons into precision-guided munitions.
Each kit consists of a MAU-209C/B computer control group containing the electronics guidance system and an air foil group, which provides lift and stability.
