$161M in Enhanced Paveway Kits for… Whom?
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Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ recently received a $161.3 million contract modification to provide Enhanced Paveway II, III and GPS adapter kits, kit spares, adapter groups, readiness test sets, bomb tool kits, enhanced paveway tool sets, CAMBRE adapter kits, and mission planning software. At this time, all funds have been committed by the OO-ALC/GHGKB at Hill AFB, UT (FA8213-08-C-0028).
While “Paveway” is a semi-generic term for American laser-guided bomb designs, Enhanced Paveway is a more specific term. Those Raytheon kits that fit onto standard bomb bodies and provide dual-mode GPS/INS and laser guidance. The combination allows laser’s improved accuracy, while allowing use in sandstorms, fog, and other conditions that defeat laser guidance. Lockheed Martin’s counterpart is the DMLGB. The flip side of their improved performance is that these kits are more expensive than plain JDAM GPS/INS kits.
Subsequent conversations with Raytheon clarified several things about this sale. CAMBRE is a computerized piece of test equipment that also allows Raytheon to introduce software upgrades. The customer for this sale is not the USAF, but a Foreign Military Sale client that Raytheon “is not at liberty to disclose.” An FMS client rules out the Dutch, who are buying their Enhanced Paveways via Direct Commercial Sale. Based on US DSCA notifications, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have each submitted requests for 1,600 Enhanced Paveway bomb kits, as armament for their respective F-16 fleets.
