Munitions

GBU-24 Paveway III

Also known as
  • Guided Bomb Unit-24
  • GBU-24/B
  • GBU-24A/B
  • EGBU-24
  • Paveway III 2,000 lb LGB

The GBU-24 Paveway III is a U.S.-origin 2,000-pound-class laser-guided bomb family that combines a Paveway III guidance section and airfoil group with Mk 84, BLU-109, or related hard-target bomb bodies. Official and military-history sources document GBU-24 use in the Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and the 2003 Iraq War, while Yemen rights-monitoring sources identify GBU-24 or Paveway III-series remnants from Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes where fragmentary evidence can limit exact bomb-body identification.

GBU-24 Paveway III, 2,000-pound-class laser-guided bomb, Munitions
Image source: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Built by
Raytheon
Type
2,000-pound-class laser-guided bomb
Service note
Entered U.S. service in 1983; documented from the 1990 Gulf War through later U.S., NATO, and Saudi-led coalition air campaigns
Designer
Texas Instruments / Raytheon
Designed
Early 1980s
Produced
1980s-present in Paveway III family production and sustainment

Specifications

Guidance
Semi-active laser guidance with Paveway III proportional navigation; enhanced variants add GPS/INS
Warhead
2,000-pound-class Mk 84 general-purpose or BLU-109 penetrator bomb body, depending on variant
Weight
About 2,200 to 2,315 lb depending on configuration
Length
14 ft 5 in
Wingspan
6 ft 8 in
Range
More than 10 miles, dependent on release conditions
Major components
Laser seeker/guidance control unit, BSU-84 airfoil group, fuze, adapter group, and bomb body
Variants

GBU-24 designations mainly distinguish the 2,000-pound-class bomb body, guidance control unit, airfoil group, and fuze fitted to the Paveway III guidance package.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
GBU-24/BMk 84 general-purpose bomb body

The baseline GBU-24/B designation covers a 2,000-pound Mk 84 warhead with a BSU-84 airfoil group and WGU-series Paveway III guidance.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway III Designation History

GBU-24A/BBLU-109 penetrator configuration

The USAF GBU-24A/B variant uses a BLU-109/B hard-target penetrator warhead in the GBU-24 family.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway III Designation History, GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

GBU-24C/BBLU-116 advanced penetrator configuration

Designation listings identify GBU-24C/B as a USAF BLU-116/B Advanced Unitary Penetrator configuration.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway III Designation History

GBU-24E/BEnhanced Paveway III configuration

The EGBU-24 grouping adds GPS/INS-aided guidance to the Paveway III laser-guided bomb family.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway III Designation History, Paveway Bomb

GBU-24(V)/BExport designation series

The GBU-24(V)/B export series uses WGU-43-series guidance control units, including enhanced GPS/INS export configurations.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway III Designation History, Saudi Arabia Air-to-Ground Munitions Sale Notification

Penetrator Warheads
Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
BLU-109 penetrator warhead, 2,000-pound hard-target penetrator warhead, MunitionsBLU-109 penetrator warhead2,000-pound hard-target penetrator warhead

The GBU-24 Paveway III fact sheet identifies BLU-109-class bomb-body configurations in the Paveway III family.

Sources: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

Bomb Body Compatibility
Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Mk 84 Mod 4 2,000-pound unguided bomb, 2,000-pound unguided general-purpose bomb, MunitionsMk 84 Mod 4 2,000-pound unguided bomb2,000-pound general-purpose bomb body

The Saudi air-to-ground munitions sale notification states that GBU-24 Paveway III can utilize the MK-84 conventional warhead as well as the BLU-109 penetrating warhead.

Sources: Saudi Arabia Air-to-Ground Munitions Sale Notification

Carrier Aircraft
CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
F-15E Strike Eagle, Dual-role strike fighter, Aircraft & UAVsF-15E Strike EagleStrike fighter

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force says F-15E aircraft effectively delivered GBU-24s against high-value targets in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Sources: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

F-16 Fighting Falcon, Multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsF-16 Fighting FalconFighter aircraft

The same museum fact sheet says F-16 aircraft effectively delivered GBU-24s against high-value targets in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

Sources: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

B-52 Stratofortress, Long-range heavy bomber, Aircraft & UAVsB-52 StratofortressBomber

Air & Space Forces lists B-52 aircraft among the GBU-24 integration platforms in its Paveway III weapon entry.

Sources: GBU-24/28 Paveway III

Timeline

GBU-24 Paveway III Key Events

  1. Paveway III development contract

    Texas Instruments received the Paveway III low-level laser-guided bomb development contract after Paveway II limitations at low-level release became clear.

    Sources: Raytheon Paveway III Designation History

  2. Paveway III enters service

    Designation-system histories place Paveway III service entry in 1983, with the GBU-24/B becoming the operational 2,000-pound-class member of the family.

    Sources: Raytheon Paveway III Designation History

  3. GBU-24 used in Desert Storm

    GAO's review of Operation Desert Storm air-campaign data lists GBU-24 and GBU-24/109 laser-guided bombs among munitions expended.

    Sources: Operation Desert Storm Air Campaign Evaluation

  4. U.S. Navy combat employment in Operation Desert Fox

    VFA-32's squadron history identifies Operation Desert Fox as the first U.S. Navy combat employment of GBU-24s and the first F-14 delivery of GBU-10/16/24 weapons.

    Sources: VFA-32 Squadron History

  5. Kosovo air-campaign delivery

    The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force records F-15E and F-16 delivery of GBU-24s against high-value targets in Kosovo.

    Sources: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

  6. Operation Iraqi Freedom expenditure

    The Operation Iraqi Freedom air-component munitions summary lists 23 GBU-24 laser-guided bombs expended in the early 2003 campaign.

    Sources: Operation Iraqi Freedom By The Numbers

  7. Yemen remnants documented

    Mwatana and OSMP records identify GBU-24 or Paveway III-series remnants from Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen in September 2015.

    Sources: Day of Judgment, Yemen Open Source Munitions Portal

Media

GBU-24 Paveway III Images

GBU-24 Paveway III, 2,000-pound-class laser-guided bomb, Munitions - view 1
Source: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet
GBU-24 Paveway III, 2,000-pound-class laser-guided bomb, Munitions - view 2
Source: Paveway III Laser Guided Bomb Seeker Head Image
Related Weapon Systems
Paveway laser-guided bomb, Laser-guided bomb guidance-kit family, MunitionsMunitionsPaveway laser-guided bombLaser-guided bomb guidance-kit familyPaveway is a U.S.-origin family of laser-guided bomb kits that turns conventional gravity bombs into precision air-to-surface weapons by adding a seeker, computer-control group, and airfoil surfaces. Raytheon traces production to 1968, while later Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon UK lines cover Paveway II, Paveway III, dual-mode Enhanced Paveway, Paveway IV, and Paveway II Plus kits documented in combat-use and transfer records from the Falklands and Gulf War through Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, and Yemen.
GBU-28 Paveway III, 5,000-pound laser-guided penetrator bomb, MunitionsMunitionsGBU-28 Paveway III5,000-pound laser-guided penetrator bombThe GBU-28 Paveway III is a U.S. 5,000-pound-class hard-target penetrator bomb rushed into service for Operation Desert Storm and later retained as a specialized air-launched bunker-buster. GAO and Air & Space Forces sources describe a semi-active laser-guided weapon with a 4,400-pound-class penetrator warhead, while later GBU-28B/B and GBU-28C/B variants added GPS/INS guidance and the BLU-122 improved penetrator for all-weather hard-target attack.
GBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109), 2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb configuration, MunitionsMunitionsGBU-31 JDAM (Mk 84 / BLU-109)2,000-pound GPS/INS-guided bomb configurationThe GBU-31 JDAM is the 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition configuration built around Boeing's GPS/INS tail kit and either a Mk 84-class general-purpose bomb body or a BLU-109 hard-target penetrator body. U.S. military and Federal Register sources distinguish the KMU-556 Mk 84 configuration from the KMU-557 BLU-109 configuration, while direct conflict-use reporting traces GBU-31/JDAM employment from Kosovo and Afghanistan to Iraq, Yemen, Operation Inherent Resolve, the Israel-Hamas war, and the 2025 Israel-Iran conflict.

Sources

GBU-24 Paveway III Fact SheetPublisher: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports background, BLU-109 configuration context, range, dimensions, primary display image provenance, and direct GBU-24 use in the 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force and 2001 War in Afghanistan. | Accessed: 2026-07-04GBU-24 Paveway III ArtworkPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports dimensions, approximate weight, range, and public-domain image provenance for the side-view artwork. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Raytheon Paveway III PhotoPublisher: Hill Air Force Base | Note: Supports Raytheon/Texas Instruments background and public-domain image provenance for a GBU-24/B display photo. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Paveway BombPublisher: RTX Raytheon | Note: Supports manufacturer background for the Paveway laser-guided bomb family and enhanced GPS/INS guidance context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Raytheon Paveway III Designation HistoryPublisher: Designation-Systems.net | Note: Supports Paveway III development history, service-entry context, GBU-24 variant designation logic, warhead options, and enhanced GPS/INS GBU-24 configurations. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Saudi Arabia Air-to-Ground Munitions Sale NotificationPublisher: Federal Register | Note: Supports specifications, Saudi procurement context, and the GBU-24 Paveway III use of FMU-139A/B fuze, BSU-84 airfoil, WGU-43C/B guidance control unit, and Mk 84 or BLU-109 bomb bodies. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Operation Desert Storm Air Campaign EvaluationPublisher: U.S. Government Accountability Office | Note: Supports 1990 Gulf War conflict use: GAO's Operation Desert Storm air-campaign review lists GBU-24 and GBU-24/109 laser-guided bombs among munitions expended. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Operation Iraqi Freedom By The NumbersPublisher: U.S. Central Command Air Forces | Note: Supports 2003 Iraq War conflict use: the air-component munitions summary lists 23 GBU-24 laser-guided bombs expended in Operation Iraqi Freedom. | Accessed: 2026-07-04VFA-32 Squadron HistoryPublisher: U.S. Navy | Note: Supports dated service-history context for U.S. Navy GBU-24 employment during Operation Desert Fox. | Accessed: 2026-07-04US Weapons Responsible for Civilian Deaths in YemenPublisher: Mwatana for Human Rights | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use: a GBU-24 Paveway III was used by Saudi/UAE-led coalition jets in Yemen according to remnants assessed by arms experts. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Day of JudgmentPublisher: Mwatana for Human Rights, University Network for Human Rights, and PAX | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use: a likely GBU-24 Paveway III was used by Saudi/UAE-led coalition jets in a September 2015 Sanaa strike, with remnants marked for Raytheon-associated parts. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Yemen Open Source Munitions PortalPublisher: Open Source Munitions Portal | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War conflict use: GBU-24 Paveway III-series and Paveway III kit remnants were used by air forces conducting strikes in Yemen, while OSMP cautions that some remnants alone do not determine the exact bomb body. | Accessed: 2026-07-04GBU-24/28 Paveway IIIPublisher: Air & Space Forces Magazine | Note: Supports GBU-24 carriage and aircraft integration context, including B-52 platform coverage in the weapon entry. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Paveway III Laser Guided Bomb Seeker Head ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the Paveway III seeker-head gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-07-04