Direct proof of use
Raytheon described the GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II as a precision weapon extensively employed by U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. The same 2008 release identified the GBU-49 as a dual-mode Enhanced Paveway II upgrade that converts 500-pound Paveway II laser-guided bombs into a GPS/laser-guided munition.
A second direct Afghanistan source came from official U.S. military video. DVIDS and U.S. Air Forces Central published footage from August 14, 2015 showing 455th Air Expeditionary Wing munitions airmen at Kandahar Airfield building a GBU-49 for an MQ-9, tying the weapon to U.S.-led air operations inside Afghanistan during the post-ISAF phase of the war.
Sources: Raytheon France EP2 Contract, DVIDS GBU-49 Build
Timeline
By February 2008, Raytheon was publicly describing the GBU-49 as already combat-proven and extensively employed by U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan. That statement places operational use before the later Kandahar video record, but it does not identify individual sorties or target sets.
On August 14, 2015, DVIDS recorded the GBU-49 being assembled at Kandahar Airfield for an MQ-9. The date falls during Operation Freedom's Sentinel and NATO's Resolute Support period, when U.S.-led and Afghan government forces continued air, counterterrorism, and security-force support operations in Afghanistan.
Sources: Raytheon France EP2 Contract, DVIDS GBU-49 Build
Narrative
The documented Afghanistan role was air-delivered precision strike support for U.S.-led and allied forces. Sources connect the weapon to several aircraft contexts: Raytheon discussed U.S. and NATO aircraft employment generally, while DVIDS identified an MQ-9 preparation event at Kandahar. A reposted Dassault Rafale F3-R notification also listed GBU-49 GPS-guided bombs among Rafale close-air-support weapons used in Afghanistan, Libya, and Mali.
The public record separates broad employment from specific incident evidence. Raytheon and Dassault support the claim that GBU-49 weapons were used in Afghanistan, while the Kandahar footage gives a dated fielding example for an MQ-9. The reviewed sources do not name a particular Afghan strike, target, or battle in which a GBU-49 was released.
Sources: Raytheon France EP2 Contract, DVIDS GBU-49 Build, Dassault Rafale F3-R Notification
