The Mk 82 bomb with Opher guidance kit is a 500-pound Mk 82 body fitted with Elbit Systems' Israeli infrared seeker kit. Italian AMX aircraft used the configuration during Operation Allied Force in Kosovo, giving the light attack jet a fire-and-forget precision bomb option.
Italian AMX aircraft used Mk 82 bombs fitted with Elbit Opher infrared guidance kits during Operation Allied Force; Jane's/Migavia records 39 Opher LGBs dropped, and The Aviationist describes their April 1999 strike use against Serbian air-defense targets.
Opher belongs to Elbit's Whizzard guidance-kit family, which also included Lizard laser guidance and GAL laser/GPS-aided guidance. This entry covers the Opher infrared-seeker configuration on the Mk 82 body.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Laser-guided Mk 82 family member | Deagel describes Whizzard as a modular Elbit guidance-kit family with laser, infrared, and laser/GPS-aided guidance modes; the Lizard row represents the laser-guided branch while this entry covers Opher. Sources: Whizzard |
| GAL | Laser/GPS-aided Whizzard family member | Deagel identifies GAL as the laser/GPS-aided branch of the same Whizzard guidance-kit family. Sources: Whizzard |
Italian AMX aircraft carried Opher-guided Mk 82 bombs during Kosovo War operations.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Attack and reconnaissance aircraft | Jane's/Migavia and The Aviationist both document Italian AMX use of Opher-guided Mk 82 bombs during Operation Allied Force. Sources: AMX AMX - Jane's/Migavia, Ghiblis over the boot - The Aviationist |
The Opher configuration keeps the Mk 82 as the 500-pound bomb body and adds the Israeli infrared guidance kit.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 500-pound bomb body | The Air Force Armament Museum identifies the Mk 82 as the 500-pound low-drag general-purpose bomb; Deagel describes Opher as the infrared-seeker branch of the Whizzard kit family that turns general-purpose bombs into precision-guided weapons. Sources: Mark 82 500 lb LDGP Bombs, Whizzard |
The configuration is best read as a guided conversion rather than a new bomb body: a U.S. Mk 82 provides the 500-pound munition, while Elbit's Opher kit supplies infrared homing within the Whizzard guidance-kit family.
| Element | Configuration note | Source support |
|---|---|---|
| Bomb body | Mk 82 low-drag general-purpose bomb in the 500-pound class. | Mark 82 500 lb LDGP Bombs |
| Guidance kit | Opher infrared seeker kit from Elbit Systems, described as a launch-and-forget Whizzard-family mode. | Whizzard |
| Combat platform | Italian AMX light attack aircraft during Operation Allied Force. | AMX AMX - Jane's/Migavia; Ghiblis over the boot - The Aviationist |
| Gallery context | The available images show the underlying Mk 82 bomb body rather than the exact Opher-fitted configuration. | Mk-82 xxl.jpg; Mark 82 loading photo |
The Mk 82 emerged from the U.S. Mark 80 low-drag general-purpose bomb family, later becoming a common 500-pound body for guided bomb conversions.
Sources: Mark 82 500 lb LDGP Bombs
The Aviationist describes Italian AMX aircraft using infrared-guided Mk 82 bombs converted with Opher kits during an Operation Allied Force strike against Serbian air-defense units.
Sources: Ghiblis over the boot - The Aviationist
Jane's/Migavia records Istrana- and Amendola-based AMX squadrons dropping 39 Opher LGBs during Operation Allied Force.
Sources: AMX AMX - Jane's/Migavia
