Laser Guided Bomb

A laser emitting device is used to aim a bomb at a target. The beam reflected from the target is received by the bomb guidance head, which sends a signal to the bomb control system, adjusting the trajectory of the fall. As a rule, laser-guided bombs do not have engines and are equipped only with plumage to improve planning properties. There are laser-guided missiles ( AS.30 , modifications AGM-65 ), which due to the presence of the engine have a longer flight range and better maneuverability. However, some laser-guided bombs are also equipped with a rocket engine (for example, the American AGM-123 ), which somewhat erodes the border between these types of aircraft weapons.

Currently, kits are being produced, including a guidance head and plumage. These kits can be mounted on conventional bombs, making it possible to direct them along the laser beam. Such conversion of conventional bombs to high-precision bombs is much cheaper than the manufacture of laser-guided bombs.

Laser-guided bombs were first developed in the United States in the early 1960s. In 1964, the US Air Force signed the first Paveway bomb development contract. In 1965, the US Air Force Aviation Laboratory launched a program to develop a series of laser-guided bombs and laser homing heads KMU-351B, KMU-370B, KMU-368B type WS-212 ( Weapon System 212 , - “A”, “B” and “C”, respectively), the developers were Texas Instruments, Inc. independently . , Dallas , Texas , andOptical Laboratory , Anaheim , California (affiliate of North American Rockwell Corp. ). Despite the fact that the prototypes of GOS of both developers submitted to the competition were recognized as satisfying the requirements of the Air Force, contracts for the production of these products were concluded with Texas Instruments ^[1] .

In 1968, new weapons were used in Vietnam . Despite a number of technical and operational difficulties, the use of laser-guided bombs in the Vietnam War is considered very successful. They proved to be especially effective against motionless targets. According to existing statistics, in the period 1972 - 1973, the area of Hanoi and Haiphong, 48% of the dropped precision bombs hit the target (previously the accuracy of conventional bombs in the same area was 5.5%) ^[2] . The most famous example of the successful use of laser-guided bombs is the destruction of the Dragon 's Mouth bridge north of Thanh Hoa. Since 1965, American aviation made dozens of raids on this bridge (a total of 871 sorties), failing to destroy it or seriously damage it; the bridge has become a symbol of North Vietnam’s resistance to American aggression. In 1972, the bridge was disabled after one raid using precision bombs and completely destroyed after the second.

Laser-guided bombs are in service with the air forces of many countries and were used in a number of military conflicts.

Although modern laser-guided bombs are highly accurate, they are not an “absolute weapon."

For the effective use of the bomb, the target must be illuminated by a laser beam for several seconds so that the guidance head captures the reflected signal. After dropping a bomb, the target should still be highlighted for an accurate hit. The limited power of the backlight systems limits the use of weapons in range and altitude (usually 5-10 km). The laser pointer is usually located on a carrier aircraft or on another aircraft. In both cases, the target designation aircraft is limited in maneuver and more vulnerable to air defense systems. Combat maneuvering leads to a failure to capture the target and a miss, which often results in civilian casualties. Sometimes the crew of the carrier aircraft drops a bomb as usual, and the laser designator turns on only during its approach to the target.

To solve the problem, ground-based target indicators are used. They are deployed by special forces operating on the territory of the enemy, near the intended targets. However, this option does not guarantee the complete success of the use of weapons. In conditions of poor visibility (fog, smoke, thick clouds, dustiness), a target capture can also fail.