Direct proof of use
The GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II is directly documented in Iraq through Raytheon's February 6, 2008 release on a French Enhanced Paveway II contract. In that release, Raytheon described the GBU-49 as a precision weapon extensively employed by U.S. and allied forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
The same source states that the contract converted 500-pound Paveway II laser-guided bombs into dual-mode GBU-49 weapons, placing the Iraq use claim on the 500-pound Enhanced Paveway II configuration rather than on the broader Paveway family alone.
Sources: France Awards Raytheon $22 Million for Enhanced Paveway II
Timeline
Raytheon's public release does not give an incident date, target list, aircraft type, or expenditure count for Iraq. It does, however, show that by February 2008 Raytheon was publicly describing the GBU-49 as already combat-employed in Iraq by U.S. and allied forces.
The 2008 release also identifies operational use on U.S. and NATO aircraft and French Navy Super Etendard service, while Designation-Systems identifies the GBU-49(V)/B series as Raytheon's Enhanced Paveway II GPS/INS-equipped branch of the GBU-12 500-pound Paveway II family.
Sources: France Awards Raytheon $22 Million for Enhanced Paveway II, Designation-Systems Paveway II
Narrative
In the 2003 Iraq War catalog context, the supported role is air-delivered precision strike by the U.S.-led side. The direct GBU-49 claim rests on Raytheon's Iraq employment statement, while RTX's broader Paveway overview states that Paveway bombs made up more than half of the air-to-ground precision-guided weapons used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Unified Protector.
The available open sources reviewed for this record support Iraq theater use but do not support a public count of GBU-49 bombs expended in Iraq or a specific sortie, aircraft, target, or date. The record therefore separates the directly supported use claim from broader Paveway-family and technical background.
Sources: France Awards Raytheon $22 Million for Enhanced Paveway II, Raytheon Paveway Bomb, Designation-Systems Paveway II
