Article Posted on : - Jul 23, 2010

Paveway II Laser Guided Bomb (LGB)

FARNBOROUGH (BNS): Raytheon will develop Paveway II laser-guided bombs (LGB bomb kits) for South African Department of Defence under a contract awarded by Armaments Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR).

ARMSCOR is the officially appointed acquisition organisation for the South African DoD.

According to the contract, Raytheon will provide LGB computer control groups and air foil groups to South African military. This technology will transform "dumb" bombs into precision-guided munitions for operational test and evaluation on South Africa's Gripen fighter aircraft.

In addition to the weapons, Raytheon will also provide air- and ground-crew training to the South African military.

"Raytheon is the sole provider of the Paveway family of weapons and is committed to providing the war-fighter with a reliable direct-attack weapon at a cost-effective price,” Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon's Air Warfare Systems product line said in a company news release.

The delivery of LGB to South African military will begin in 2011.

Raytheon will negotiate the direct commercial sale of the LGB with the assistance of South Africa's ATLANTIS Corporation. The total cost of the contract was not disclosed by the company.