162:
244:(CEP) of 75 feet (23 m) while the Paveway I achieved a CEP of 20 feet (6.1 m) with one in every four bombs scoring a direct hit. Only a limited number of BOLT-117 bombs were produced before it was discontinued in favor of the more accurate Paveway I family of guidance kits that moved the control fins to the front of the bomb. The Paveway variant was very successful and over 28,000 Paveway weapons were dropped during the war in Vietnam.
31:
420:
208:
and proved that it was possible to accurately target objects from a moving aircraft. His mock testing proved correct, and during further testing with live seekers, it took just six attempts to improve the seeker accuracy from 148 feet (45 m) to within 10 feet (3.0 m) of the target. This
256:
could accurately strike targets with small outlines and good contrast on camera but had difficulty hitting large oddly shaped structures like bridges. Laser-guided weapons allowed far greater precision against these types of targets, and with much larger warheads.
224:
in
Southeast Asia from May to August 1968. The first combat drop of a laser guided bomb was made using BOLT-117s on 23 May 1968. Without the existence of tracking pods, the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO) in the back seat of an F-4 Phantom II used a hand-held
251:
was revolutionary, allowing the destruction of targets even other existing precision weapons had difficulty destroying due to having small warheads and difficulty tracking certain types of objects. Earlier electro-optical weapons such as the
192:
Joe Davis Jr. inquired if it could instead be used as a ground attack system to overcome problems US aircraft were having with the poor accuracy of bombing in
Vietnam. Davis had already witnessed a test of the
599:
312:
365:
460:
441:
268:, and doing so at a fraction of the cost of other guided weapons. The cost of the add-on kits was only a few percent of the original $ 100,000 price goal.
609:
232:
to guide the bombs, but half of the LGBs still hit their targets despite the difficulties inherent in keeping the laser on the target. Placement of the
411:
202:
169:
173:
166:
184:
seeker developed by Texas
Instruments (TI). When TI executive Glenn E. Penisten attempted to sell the new technology to the
260:
Another equally important improvement was the ability to use add-on guidance kits to turn standard "dumb" ordnance into
146:
laser seeker on the front of the bomb and tail and control fins to guide the bomb to the target. The latter used the
614:
261:
236:
on the rear of the bomb proved to be less than ideal as it limited the ability of the fins to control the bomb's
221:
130:(BOmb, Laser Terminal-117), retrospectively redesignated as the GBU-1/B (Guided Bomb Unit) was the world's first
604:
398:
201:, but no seeker existed to make use of the system. Davis had already performed tests from the back seat of an
553:
241:
233:
189:
185:
181:
150:
method of control where each control surface was either straight or fully deflected. This was inefficient
337:
147:
569:
545:
161:
194:
288:
missile. The BOLT-117 was discontinued in favor of the more powerful 2,000 pounds (910 kg)
574:
379:
407:
289:
131:
124:
78:
228:
198:
584:
253:
248:
205:
139:
593:
520:
424:
285:
265:
209:
greatly exceeded the design requirements. It was commissioned by the USAF in 1967.
30:
217:
151:
501:
155:
579:
264:
yielding a considerable increase in effectiveness compared with free-falling,
237:
281:
135:
284:
750-pound bomb. The guidance system and control fins were adapted from the
489:. Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense. pp. 352–3.
213:
143:
400:
Sierra Hotel: flying Air Force fighters in the decade after
Vietnam
154:, but reduced costs and minimized demands on the primitive onboard
575:
Texas
Instruments Paveway I & Pave Storm - Designation Systems
160:
423:
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
280:
featured a KMU-342 laser guidance and control kit attached to
550:
Nixon's
Trident: Naval Power in Southeast Asia, 1968–1972,
220:
2,000-pound bomb) underwent combat evaluation with the
406:. Air Force History and Museums Program. p. 124.
570:
BOLT-117 (BOmb, Laser
Terminal-117) - Global Security
240:. In the combat evaluations the BOLT-117 achieved a
113:
105:
100:
92:
84:
74:
69:
61:
56:
48:
40:
21:
138:750-pound (340 kg) bomb case with a KMU-342
525:Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles
366:"Texas Instruments BOLT-117 Laser Guided Bomb"
317:National Museum of the United States Air Force
313:"Texas Instruments BOLT-117 Laser Guided Bomb"
8:
454:
452:
450:
600:Cold War aerial bombs of the United States
18:
487:Adapting to Flexible Response, 1960-1968
360:
358:
440:was invoked but never defined (see the
301:
197:'s new laser target designator made by
338:"BOLT-117 (BOmb, Laser Terminal-117)"
142:and control kit. This consisted of a
7:
307:
305:
435:
180:Originally the project began as a
134:(LGB). It consisted of a standard
14:
610:Guided bombs of the United States
580:Modern glide bombs on Vectorsite
521:"Martin Marietta AGM-62 Walleye"
436:Cite error: The named reference
418:
114:Effective firing range
29:
216:(based on the more streamlined
502:"The Emergence of Smart Bombs"
247:The impact of the BOLT-117 on
174:Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base
65:Southeast Asia War (1961-1973)
16:First laser-guided aerial bomb
1:
500:John Correll (1 March 2010).
380:"Texas Instruments Paveway I"
384:www.designation-systems.net
631:
242:circular error probability
262:precision-guided munition
222:8th Tactical Fighter Wing
109:340 kg (750 lb)
49:Place of origin
28:
519:Parsch, Andreas (2002).
554:Naval Historical Center
186:United States Air Force
117:4 km (2.5 mi)
485:Poole, Walter (2013).
461:"Bursts of Brilliance"
182:surface-to-air missile
177:
172:with two BOLT-117s at
546:John Darrell Sherwood
527:. Designation-Systems
397:Anderegg, C. (2001).
164:
465:The Washington Post
35:BOLT-117 on display
585:BOLT-117 at nd.edu
506:Air Force Magazine
342:GlobalSecurity.org
195:United States Army
178:
70:Production history
615:Texas Instruments
552:(Washington: DC:
212:The BOLT-117 and
132:laser-guided bomb
125:Texas Instruments
121:
120:
96:Texas Instruments
79:Texas Instruments
44:Laser guided bomb
622:
557:
543:
537:
536:
534:
532:
516:
510:
509:
497:
491:
490:
482:
476:
475:
473:
471:
456:
445:
439:
434:
428:
422:
421:
417:
405:
394:
388:
387:
376:
370:
369:
362:
353:
352:
350:
348:
334:
328:
327:
325:
323:
309:
234:control surfaces
229:Laser Designator
33:
24:
19:
630:
629:
625:
624:
623:
621:
620:
619:
605:Weapon guidance
590:
589:
566:
561:
560:
556:, forthcoming).
544:
540:
530:
528:
518:
517:
513:
499:
498:
494:
484:
483:
479:
469:
467:
458:
457:
448:
437:
431:
419:
414:
403:
396:
395:
391:
378:
377:
373:
364:
363:
356:
346:
344:
336:
335:
331:
321:
319:
311:
310:
303:
298:
274:
199:Martin Marietta
152:aerodynamically
57:Service history
36:
22:
17:
12:
11:
5:
628:
626:
618:
617:
612:
607:
602:
592:
591:
588:
587:
582:
577:
572:
565:
564:External links
562:
559:
558:
538:
511:
492:
477:
459:Loeb, Vernon.
446:
429:
412:
389:
371:
354:
329:
300:
299:
297:
294:
290:GBU-10 Paveway
273:
270:
266:unguided bombs
254:AGM-62 Walleye
249:aerial warfare
206:fighter bomber
203:F-4 Phantom II
140:laser guidance
119:
118:
115:
111:
110:
107:
103:
102:
101:Specifications
98:
97:
94:
90:
89:
86:
82:
81:
76:
72:
71:
67:
66:
63:
59:
58:
54:
53:
50:
46:
45:
42:
38:
37:
34:
26:
25:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
627:
616:
613:
611:
608:
606:
603:
601:
598:
597:
595:
586:
583:
581:
578:
576:
573:
571:
568:
567:
563:
555:
551:
547:
542:
539:
526:
522:
515:
512:
507:
503:
496:
493:
488:
481:
478:
466:
462:
455:
453:
451:
447:
443:
433:
430:
426:
425:public domain
415:
413:9781508674009
409:
402:
401:
393:
390:
385:
381:
375:
372:
367:
361:
359:
355:
343:
339:
333:
330:
318:
314:
308:
306:
302:
295:
293:
291:
287:
286:AGM-45 Shrike
283:
279:
271:
269:
267:
263:
258:
255:
250:
245:
243:
239:
235:
231:
230:
223:
219:
215:
210:
207:
204:
200:
196:
191:
187:
183:
175:
171:
168:
163:
159:
157:
153:
149:
145:
141:
137:
133:
129:
126:
116:
112:
108:
104:
99:
95:
91:
87:
83:
80:
77:
73:
68:
64:
60:
55:
52:United States
51:
47:
43:
39:
32:
27:
20:
549:
541:
529:. Retrieved
524:
514:
505:
495:
486:
480:
468:. Retrieved
464:
432:
399:
392:
383:
374:
345:. Retrieved
341:
332:
320:. Retrieved
316:
277:
275:
259:
246:
226:
211:
179:
127:
122:
93:Manufacturer
322:5 September
156:electronics
594:Categories
296:References
238:trajectory
442:help page
227:Airborne
214:Paveway I
167:497th TFS
148:bang-bang
144:gimballed
23:BOLT-117
470:11 April
347:11 April
278:BOLT-117
188:(USAF),
128:BOLT-117
85:Designed
75:Designer
190:Colonel
176:, 1971.
531:9 July
410:
272:Design
404:(PDF)
218:Mk 84
533:2014
472:2021
408:ISBN
349:2021
324:2024
282:M117
276:The
170:F-4D
136:M117
123:The
106:Mass
88:1967
62:Wars
41:Type
438::02
596::
548:,
523:.
504:.
463:.
449:^
444:).
382:.
357:^
340:.
315:.
304:^
292:.
165:A
158:.
535:.
508:.
474:.
427:.
416:.
386:.
368:.
351:.
326:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
