Munitions

GBU-58 Paveway II

The GBU-58 Paveway II is a U.S.-origin 250-pound laser-guided bomb that combines an Mk 81 bomb body with Paveway II semi-active laser guidance. It gives light attack aircraft a smaller precision munition option, and Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucanos used the bomb against Taliban targets in Farah during the 2001 War in Afghanistan.

GBU-58 Paveway II, 250-pound laser-guided bomb, Munitions
Image source: First laser-guided bomb dropped on Taliban in Farah, Afghanistan (22 March 2018).webm

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Built by
Raytheon
Type
250-pound laser-guided bomb
Service note
Paveway II family introduced in the 1970s; Afghan Air Force combat use documented in 2018
Produced
1970s-present

Specifications

Weight class
250 lb / 113.4 kg class
Warhead
Mk 81 bomb body
Guidance
Semi-active laser homing Paveway II seeker
Control group
MAU-169 or MAU-209 computer control group
Airfoil group
MXU-1006/B
Launch domain
Air-to-surface free-fall guided bomb
Guidance And Bomb Body

The GBU-58 is the small 250-pound member of the Paveway II line rather than a standalone bomb design. Its catalog identity comes from combining a Mk 81-class bomb body with a Paveway II seeker/control package for semi-active laser homing.

Bomb body

Mk 81 general-purpose bomb body in the 250-pound class.

Supported by Designation-Systems and the Federal Register GBU-12/58 notification.

Guidance method

Semi-active laser guidance that homes on reflected laser energy from a designated target.

Supported by the Federal Register GBU-12/58 notification and RTX Paveway family background.

Documented combat carrier

Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft in March 2018.

Supported by Military.com reporting on the Farah strike.

Variants

The GBU-58 sits in the 250-pound branch of the Paveway II family, with the later GBU-59/B adding Enhanced Paveway II guidance to the same weight class.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
GBU-58/B250-pound Paveway II laser-guided bomb

Designation-Systems identifies the GBU-58/B as the Mk 81-based 250-pound member of the Paveway II family.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway II

GBU-59/B Enhanced Paveway II250-pound Enhanced Paveway II follow-on

Designation-Systems lists the GBU-59/B as the Enhanced Paveway II follow-on in the 250-pound branch.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway II

Carrier Aircraft

Military.com and the associated public-domain footage document the Afghan Air Force using the GBU-58 on an A-29 Super Tucano in combat. Textron Aviation Defense lists the AT-6 Wolverine among aircraft that can carry GBU-58 and GBU-59 class bombs.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
A-29 Super Tucano, Turboprop light attack and armed reconnaissance aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsA-29 Super TucanoLight attack aircraft

Military.com reported an Afghan A-29 squadron using a GBU-58 in combat, and the associated footage shows the munition being dropped on a Taliban compound in March 2018.

Sources: Afghan A-29 drops first laser-guided bomb on Taliban

AT-6 Wolverine, Light attack and armed reconnaissance turboprop aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAT-6 WolverineLight attack and armed reconnaissance aircraft

Textron Aviation Defense lists the GBU-58 (250 lb.) Paveway II laser-guided bomb and the GBU-59 (250 lb.) Enhanced Paveway II GPS/laser-guided bomb among the AT-6 Wolverine's supported loads.

Sources: AT-6 Wolverine and Beechcraft T-6 Texan II | Textron Aviation Defense

Bomb Body Basis

The GBU-58 designation describes a guided configuration built around the 250-pound Mk 81 general-purpose bomb body.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Mark 81 bomb, 250-pound general-purpose bomb, MunitionsMark 81 bomb250-pound general-purpose bomb body

Designation-Systems and the Federal Register identify the Mk 81 as the warhead or bomb body used by the GBU-58 Paveway II.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway II, Federal Register Nigeria GBU-12/58 Notification

Timeline

GBU-58 Paveway II Key Events

  1. Paveway II family enters service

    Designation-Systems traces the Paveway II series to the 1970s generation of laser-guided bomb kits that adapted unguided bomb bodies for semi-active laser homing.

    Sources: Raytheon Paveway II

  2. Afghan A-29s use GBU-58 in combat

    Afghan Air Force A-29 pilots used a GBU-58 Paveway II bomb against a Taliban compound in Farah, marking the service's first combat use of a laser-guided weapon.

    Sources: Afghan A-29 drops first laser-guided bomb on Taliban

  3. Afghan laser-guided bomb capability expands

    U.S. Air Force reporting said Afghan A-29 pilots had supported about 30 Afghan ground missions and dropped more than 50 laser-guided bombs after the March 2018 capability introduction.

    Sources: Laser Guided Bombs enhance Afghan Air Force Strike Capability

  4. AT-6E test imagery shows inert GBU-58 employment

    A U.S. Air Force DVIDS image documented an inert GBU-58 Paveway II released from an AT-6E Wolverine during testing at Avon Park Air Force Range.

    Sources: DVIDS AT-6E inert GBU-58 image

Media

GBU-58 Paveway II Videos

GBU-58 Paveway II Images

GBU-58 Paveway II, 250-pound laser-guided bomb, Munitions - view 1
Source: DVIDS AT-6E inert GBU-58 image
Related Weapon Systems
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GBU-24 Paveway III, 2,000-pound-class laser-guided bomb, MunitionsMunitionsGBU-24 Paveway III2,000-pound-class laser-guided bombThe 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.
A-29 Super Tucano, Turboprop light attack and armed reconnaissance aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsA-29 Super TucanoTurboprop light attack and armed reconnaissance aircraftThe A-29 Super Tucano is an Embraer-designed turboprop light attack, armed reconnaissance, and advanced-training aircraft built for counter-insurgency and austere-base operations. Documented combat use includes Afghan laser-guided bomb strikes against Taliban targets, Colombian counter-FARC precision strikes, Burkinabe counter-terror air operations in the Sahel, and Nigerian close air support against Boko Haram and ISWAP.
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.

Sources

Laser Guided Bombs enhance Afghan Air Force Strike CapabilityPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports Afghan Air Force A-29 laser-guided bomb operational context after the March 22, 2018 capability introduction. | Accessed: 2026-07-02AT-6 Wolverine and Beechcraft T-6 Texan II | Textron Aviation DefensePublisher: Textron Aviation Defense | Note: Supports AT-6 Wolverine carriage of GBU-58 and GBU-59 class bombs. | Accessed: 2026-06-28Raytheon Paveway IIPublisher: Designation-Systems.net | Note: Supports the exact GBU-58/B designation, the 250 lb Mk 81 warhead, the Paveway II guidance family, and the GBU-59/B Enhanced Paveway II follow-on. | Accessed: 2026-06-23GBU-12/58 Paveway IIPublisher: Federal Register | Note: Supports the 250-pound Paveway II description and reflected-laser-energy guidance for the GBU-58. | Accessed: 2026-06-23Federal Register Nigeria GBU-12/58 NotificationPublisher: Federal Register | Note: Supports GBU-58 guidance, 250-pound class, MAU-169/MAU-209 computer control group, Mk 81 bomb-body basis, and MXU-1006/B airfoil group. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Paveway BombPublisher: RTX | Note: Supports Raytheon/RTX Paveway family background and the conversion of unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions. | Accessed: 2026-06-23Afghan A-29 drops first laser-guided bomb on TalibanPublisher: Military.com | Note: Directly supports 2001 War in Afghanistan conflict use: reports Afghan Air Force A-29 Super Tucano pilots used and dropped a GBU-58 Paveway II against a Taliban compound in Farah in March 2018. | Accessed: 2026-07-02Afghan A-29 pilots drop laser-guided bomb in combatPublisher: Army Times | Note: Directly supports 2001 War in Afghanistan conflict use: identifies Afghan Air Force pilots dispatching a 250-pound GBU-58 from an A-29 Super Tucano against a Taliban compound in Farah on March 22, 2018. | Accessed: 2026-07-02DVIDS AT-6E inert GBU-58 imagePublisher: DVIDS | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing for an inert GBU-58 Paveway II released from an AT-6E Wolverine during May 2022 testing. | Accessed: 2026-07-02First laser-guided bomb dropped on Taliban in Farah, Afghanistan (22 March 2018).webmPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain licensing page for the preview still used as the primary image; directly supports 2001 War in Afghanistan conflict use by identifying Afghan Air Force employment of a GBU-58 against a Taliban compound in Farah. | Accessed: 2026-07-02