Paveway is a series of laser-guided bombs (LGBs).
A Paveway III seeker head, at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London.
Paveway III at ILA airshow 2006
Top to bottom: A Paveway II computer control group, an Enhanced GBU-12, and a Laser-Guided Training Round, at the Paris Air Show 2007
Image: US Navy 030129 N 5362F 001 Aviation Ordnanceman assembles a 500 pound GBU 12 bomb
A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser guidance to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. First developed by the United States during the Vietnam War, laser-guided bombs quickly proved their value in precision strikes of difficult point targets. These weapons use on-board electronics to track targets that are designated by laser, typically in the infrared spectrum, and adjust their glide path to accurately strike the target. Since the weapon is tracking a light signature, not the object itself, the target must be illuminated from a separate source, either by ground forces, by a pod on the attacking aircraft, or by a separate support aircraft.
A GBU-10 shortly before it strikes a small boat during a training exercise