A Paveway missile // Raytheon

Raytheon has successfully demonstrated a wirelessly integrated version of the Enhanced Paveway II precision-guided bomb aboard a Rafale jet, allowing the fighter to now carry the newer version of the bomb, a Raytheon executive said on July 10.

While it’s not new for a Rafale to carry a Paveway bomb, integrating this newer version into the jet’s avionics would have been costly and time-consuming. With the new wireless configuration, executives said the bomb could be added to an aircraft’s missile suite without conducting major modifications.

“From the cockpit, you can now talk wirelessly to the Paveway,” said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems’ Air Warfare Systems.

The test on the Rafale occurred less than a month ago, he said, using an Enhanced Paveway II GBU-49 at the Biscarosse test range in southwestern France.

In a statement, Schulte said the success of that bomb aboard the Super Etendard Modernise over Libya last year led the French Navy to seek out ways to put the bomb on the Rafale.