1990 Gulf War

GBU-24 Paveway III in the 1990 Gulf War

U.S.-led coalition aircraft used GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs during Operation Desert Storm, with GAO records listing 284 GBU-24 and 897 GBU-24/109 bombs expended.

Weapon profileGBU-24 Paveway III
SideCoalition forcesRoleLong-Range Strike
GBU-24 Paveway III, 2,000-pound-class laser-guided bomb, Munitions - 1990 Gulf War
Image source: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs were used by coalition aircraft in the 1990 Gulf War.

Sources: GAO Desert Storm Air Campaign, Air Power Australia Desert Storm PGM

GAO records 284 GBU-24 and 897 GBU-24/109 laser-guided bombs expended during Desert Storm.

Sources: GAO Desert Storm Air Campaign

The principal Paveway III subtype described for Gulf War use was the GBU-24A/B with a BLU-109/B penetrator warhead.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm PGM

F-111F/Pave Tack aircraft are described using GBU-24s and GBU-15s against bridge supports during the late-January road and bridge interdiction phase.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm PGM

The GBU-24 is a laser-guided bomb for hardened targets, using a Paveway III tail assembly and laser-guidance unit with a 2,000-pound BLU-109 bomb body in the museum-described configuration.

Sources: GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

Timeline

GBU-24 Paveway III In 1990 Gulf War

  1. Operation Desert Storm air campaign begins

    The U.S.-led coalition began the Desert Storm air campaign against Iraqi targets; GAO later evaluated aircraft and munitions used across the January-February campaign.

    Sources: GAO Desert Storm Air Campaign

  2. F-111F bridge interdiction context

    Air Power Australia describes the F-111F force shifting to road and bridge interdiction by the end of January, with GBU-24s and GBU-15s used against bridge supports.

    Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm PGM

  3. GAO publishes air-campaign evaluation

    GAO released its unclassified Operation Desert Storm air-campaign evaluation, including a public table listing 284 GBU-24 and 897 GBU-24/109 bombs expended.

    Sources: GAO Desert Storm Air Campaign

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The GBU-24 Paveway III is directly documented in the 1990 Gulf War through the U.S. Government Accountability Office's postwar evaluation of the Operation Desert Storm air campaign. GAO's munition-cost and expenditure table lists 284 GBU-24 laser-guided bombs and 897 GBU-24/109 laser-guided bombs expended during Desert Storm.

Air Power Australia's contemporary technical review of Desert Storm precision-guided munitions also identifies the newer GBU-24 and GBU-27 Paveway III weapons as Gulf War laser-guided bombs fitted to Mk 84 or BLU-109 bomb bodies. It describes the GBU-24A/B with the BLU-109/B penetrator warhead as the principal Paveway III subtype used in the Gulf.

Sources: GAO Desert Storm Air Campaign, Air Power Australia Desert Storm PGM

Campaign chronology

Operation Desert Storm's air campaign began on January 17, 1991 and ran until the February 28, 1991 ceasefire. GAO describes the campaign as a 43-day U.S.-led coalition air campaign against Iraq, and its public expenditure table places the GBU-24 and GBU-24/109 inside the laser-guided-bomb inventory used during that campaign.

The sources support use by coalition air forces as an air-dropped munition, not a transfer, possession-only, or captured-use claim. The clearest public count is GAO's combined 1,181 GBU-24-family expenditure figure when the GBU-24 and GBU-24/109 rows are read together.

Sources: GAO Desert Storm Air Campaign

Operational role

The sourced record places the GBU-24 on the coalition side of the 1990 Gulf War in U.S.-led air operations. Its documented role was air-delivered precision strike with a 2,000-pound-class Paveway III laser-guided bomb, including a hard-target role when paired with the BLU-109 penetrator body.

Air Power Australia describes F-111F/Pave Tack aircraft using GBU-24s and GBU-15s against bridge supports during the late-January road and bridge interdiction phase. That source also credits the F-111 force's campaign contribution in part to Pave Tack and GBU-10/12/15/24 weapons, while GAO cautions more broadly that public Desert Storm data do not always permit precise target-level conclusions for each munition.

Sources: Air Power Australia Desert Storm PGM, GAO Desert Storm Air Campaign, GBU-24 Paveway III Fact Sheet

Related Weapons by Role

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.
2 more weapons
Back to GBU-24 Paveway IIIBrowse 1990 Gulf War

Sources