TUCSON, May 13 (UPI) -- A European ally of the United States has received more than 200 Paveway GBU-50 guidance kits from Raytheon.
Neither the value of the kits nor the identity of the customer was revealed but Raytheon described the delivery as a "significant milestone" in the Paveway program.
Paveway kits turn free fall, or "dumb," bombs into precision laser-guided weapons.
The GBU-50 kit gives the 2,000-pound MK-84 or the BLU-109 penetrator with all-weather GPS navigation combined with precision terminal laser guidance and also selectable terminal impact angles.
Each Enhanced Paveway II guidance and control section is compatible with warheads ranging from the 250-pound MK-81 to the 2,000-pound MK-84 along with the BLU-109. There is no need for the warfighter to acquire a different guidance and control section for different warhead use.
"This delivery is a significant milestone for the Enhanced Paveway II program as it provides unique capabilities to our allies," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems. "As we begin our second production run of the GBU-50, we have substantial interest from the international community."
