Munitions

Paveway IV guided bomb

Also known as
  • Paveway IV
  • Paveway 4
  • Paveway IV PGM
  • Paveway IV precision-guided bomb
  • UK Paveway IV

Paveway IV is a Raytheon UK 500-pound-class precision-guided bomb built around GPS-aided inertial navigation, laser guidance, and an electronic fuze. It became a core RAF air-to-ground weapon after entering UK service in 2008, moved from Harrier and Tornado carriage to Typhoon and F-35B integration, and is documented in RAF counter-ISIS strikes, UK-led Red Sea Crisis strikes on Houthi military sites, and Saudi-led coalition air operations in Yemen.

Paveway IV guided bomb, Dual-mode precision-guided bomb, Munitions
Image source: RAF Tornado GR4 Armed with Paveway IV Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United Kingdom
Built by
Raytheon UK
Type
Dual-mode precision-guided bomb
Service note
In UK service since 2008; documented in Middle East air campaigns during the 2010s and 2020s
Designer
Raytheon UK
Designed
2000s
Unit cost
Not listed in official open sources used for this entry
Produced
2000s-present
Number built
Not publicly confirmed

Specifications

Warhead
Enhanced Mk 82 500 lb-class warhead; later sources also describe an RWM Italia Mk 82-class warhead for Typhoon integration trials
Guidance
GPS-aided inertial navigation with laser guidance
Guidance hardware
GPS-aided inertial navigation, MEMS IMU, laser guidance, and anti-jam/anti-spoofing GPS features
Fuze
All-electronic, cockpit-programmable fuze with airburst, impact, and post-impact delay modes described in DE&S material
Navigation protection
Anti-spoofing and anti-jamming features
Service entry
Entered RAF service in November 2008 and was first introduced operationally in Afghanistan that year
Launch platforms
Harrier GR9, Tornado GR4, Typhoon FGR4, and F-35B are publicly documented in service, integration, or test-release contexts
Guidance And Fuzing

Paveway IV combines a 500 lb-class bomb body with a guidance and fuzing package designed for precision effects from fast jets. Raytheon and DE&S sources identify GPS-aided inertial navigation, laser guidance, anti-spoofing and anti-jamming features, cockpit-programmable fuzing, and airburst, impact, or post-impact delay modes.

Guidance modes

GPS-aided inertial navigation with laser guidance for terminal precision.

Fuzing

All-electronic and cockpit-programmable, with public DE&S material describing airburst, impact, and post-impact delay options.

Penetrator path

Dstl developed a Compact Penetrator warhead with the same fit, form, and function as baseline Paveway IV and later described the Tactical Penetrator as an operational RAF capability.

Variants

The public record mainly distinguishes Paveway IV by the baseline dual-mode 500 lb-class weapon and later hardened-target warhead work rather than by a long series of separate designations.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Standard Paveway IV500 lb-class dual-mode precision-guided bomb

Raytheon describes the standard weapon around an enhanced Mk 82 500 lb-class warhead, GPS-aided inertial navigation, anti-spoofing and anti-jamming features, laser guidance, and an all-electronic fuze; DE&S described cockpit-selectable impact angle, attack direction, and fuzing modes.

Sources: Raytheon Paveway IV Tornado GR4 Integration Contract, DE&S Desider Paveway IV Service Entry

Paveway IV Compact Penetrator / Tactical PenetratorHardened-target warhead variant

Dstl described the Compact Penetrator as a Paveway IV warhead with the same fit, form, and function as the existing weapon but better hardened-structure penetration; later Dstl reporting described the Tactical Penetrator as an operational RAF capability.

Sources: Dstl Annual Report 2014/15, Dstl Annual Report 2019/20

Carrier Aircraft

Paveway IV is documented on RAF fast-jet platforms that carried the munition operationally or during integration and separation testing.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
Panavia Tornado, Twin-engine variable-sweep wing multirole strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsPanavia TornadoStrike aircraft

DE&S reported that Paveway IV was integrated on Tornado GR4 after its Harrier GR9 introduction, and Raytheon's Tornado GR4 integration contract covered clearance work for the RAF Tornado force.

Sources: DE&S Desider Paveway IV Service Entry, Raytheon Paveway IV Tornado GR4 Integration Contract

Eurofighter Typhoon, Twin-engine multirole combat aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsEurofighter TyphoonMultirole combat aircraft

DE&S documented live Typhoon Paveway IV releases over Cape Wrath, UK MOD strike releases document RAF Typhoon FGR4 use in Iraq and Yemen, and RTX reported later Typhoon integration trials with Raytheon UK and RWM Italia.

Sources: DE&S Desider Typhoon Paveway IV Trials, RAF Air Strikes in Iraq and Syria 2024, Statement on Houthi Military Target Strikes, Raytheon UK Paveway IV Integration Trials

F-35B Lightning II, STOVL stealth multirole fighter, Aircraft & UAVsF-35B Lightning IISTOVL stealth multirole fighter

The F-35B Patuxent River test team released inert Paveway IV bombs from an F-35B internal weapons bay during 2015 separation testing.

Sources: F-35B First Release of UK Paveway IV

Legacy and current carriage

Open sources used here also show Harrier GR9 carriage in imagery, but this entry links only to existing public aircraft records with source-backed Paveway IV relationships.

Sources: Harrier GR9 with Paveway IV Image

Timeline

Paveway IV guided bomb Key Events

  1. RAF precision-strike service

    DE&S reported that Paveway IV entered service in November 2008 and was first introduced operationally in Afghanistan that year.

    Sources: DE&S Desider Paveway IV Service Entry

  2. UK replenishment and growth path

    The UK MOD awarded Raytheon UK a replenishment contract while Raytheon described planned SPEAR Capability 1 growth for warhead options, moving-target capability, and range.

    Sources: Raytheon UK Paveway IV Replenishment Contract

  3. F-35B separation trial

    An F-35B test aircraft released two inert 500 lb-class Paveway IV bombs over the Atlantic Test Ranges during UK weapons-separation testing.

    Sources: F-35B First Release of UK Paveway IV

  4. Typhoon live-release trials

    DE&S reported live Paveway IV drops from Typhoon over the Cape Wrath training area, including GPS and laser-guided profiles and impact or airburst fuzing settings.

    Sources: DE&S Desider Typhoon Paveway IV Trials

  5. Red Sea Crisis drone-site strikes

    GOV.UK reported that RAF Typhoons used Paveway IV bombs against drones and launchers at a former surface-to-air missile battery site northeast of Sanaa.

    Sources: Statement on Houthi Military Target Strikes 24 February

  6. Typhoon integration trials with RWM Italia warhead

    RTX said Raytheon UK, RWM Italia, and the RAF completed Paveway IV integration trials on Eurofighter Typhoon using a new Mk 82-class warhead supplied by RWM Italia.

    Sources: Raytheon UK Paveway IV Integration Trials

Media

Paveway IV guided bomb Videos

Paveway IV guided bomb Images

Paveway IV guided bomb, Dual-mode precision-guided bomb, Munitions - view 1
Source: Typhoon Armed with Paveway IV Image
Paveway IV guided bomb, Dual-mode precision-guided bomb, Munitions - view 2
Source: Harrier GR9 with Paveway IV Image
Paveway IV guided bomb, Dual-mode precision-guided bomb, Munitions - view 3
Source: F-35B Paveway IV Separation Image
Related Weapon Systems
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-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.

Sources

Raytheon UK Paveway IV Integration TrialsPublisher: RTX | Note: Supports manufacturer, background, service-entry context, Typhoon integration trials, RWM Italia warhead context, and the dual-mode precision-guided bomb description. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Raytheon Paveway IV Tornado GR4 Integration ContractPublisher: Raytheon | Note: Supports Paveway IV specifications including the enhanced Mk 82 500 lb warhead, electronic fuze, GPS-aided inertial navigation, anti-spoofing and anti-jamming features, laser guidance, and Tornado GR4 integration. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Raytheon UK Paveway IV Replenishment ContractPublisher: Raytheon | Note: Supports UK MOD replenishment, RAF service since 2008, operational background, and capability-growth options for Paveway IV. | Accessed: 2026-07-03DE&S Desider Paveway IV Service EntryPublisher: UK Ministry of Defence | Note: Supports Paveway IV service entry in November 2008, Afghanistan operational introduction, cockpit-programmable impact angle, attack direction, and fuzing modes. | Accessed: 2026-07-03DE&S Desider Typhoon Paveway IV TrialsPublisher: UK Ministry of Defence | Note: Supports Typhoon live Paveway IV release trials over Cape Wrath, including GPS and laser guidance profiles and impact or airburst fuzing settings. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Raytheon Paveway IV Test SuccessPublisher: Raytheon | Note: Supports guidance, height-of-burst, programmable fuze, in-weapon launch acceptability region, and guidance-algorithm context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Dstl Annual Report 2014/15Publisher: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory | Note: Supports Compact Penetrator development for Paveway IV and its same fit, form, and function with improved hardened-structure penetration. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Dstl Annual Report 2019/20Publisher: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory | Note: Supports Tactical Penetrator variant context and Dstl's statement that the capability was brought into RAF service. | Accessed: 2026-07-03F-35B First Release of UK Paveway IVPublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Supports 500-pound dual-mode Paveway IV background, F-35B integration and internal-bay release context, and public-domain image provenance. | Accessed: 2026-07-03CJTF-OIR United Kingdom Coalition ProfilePublisher: Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve | Note: Supports background that Operation Shader is the UK military contribution to Operation Inherent Resolve. | Accessed: 2026-07-03RAF Air Strikes in Iraq and Syria 2024Publisher: UK Ministry of Defence | Note: Supports 2014 War Against the Islamic State direct conflict use under Operation Inherent Resolve: Supports 2014 Operation Inherent Resolve direct use: Paveway IV was used by RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft during Operation Shader to destroy a rocket launcher firing at coalition forces in northwest Iraq. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Statement on Houthi Military Target StrikesPublisher: UK Ministry of Defence | Note: Supports 2023 Red Sea Crisis direct use: Paveway IV precision-guided bombs were used by RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft against Houthi military targets tied to Red Sea shipping attacks. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Statement on Houthi Military Target Strikes 24 FebruaryPublisher: UK Ministry of Defence | Note: Supports 2023 Red Sea Crisis direct use: RAF Typhoon FGR4 aircraft used Paveway IV bombs against drones and launchers at a former surface-to-air missile battery site northeast of Sanaa. | Accessed: 2026-07-03HRW Letter on UK Arms Sales to Saudi ArabiaPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct use: Human Rights Watch identified a UK-manufactured Paveway IV guided bomb used by the Saudi-led coalition in a January 2016 Hodeida warehouse strike. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Parliament Written Evidence on Yemen ArmsPublisher: UK Parliament Committees | Note: Supports background on UK-manufactured arms evidence submitted to Parliament, including references to a Paveway IV bomb found at a January 2016 Yemen strike scene. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Forces News Paveway IV ExplainerPublisher: BFBS Forces News | Note: Supports the selected YouTube video metadata and general reader-facing background on Paveway IV in RAF service. | Accessed: 2026-07-03RAF Tornado GR4 Armed with Paveway IV ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary gallery image; UK MOD/Crown copyright image licensed under the Open Government Licence. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Typhoon Armed with Paveway IV ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a Typhoon carrying Paveway IV bombs; UK MOD/Crown copyright image licensed under the Open Government Licence. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Harrier GR9 with Paveway IV ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a close view of a Paveway IV carried by an RAF Harrier; UK MOD/Crown copyright image licensed under the Open Government Licence. | Accessed: 2026-07-03F-35B Paveway IV Separation ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for an F-35B Paveway IV separation test; public-domain U.S. government/DVIDS image. | Accessed: 2026-07-03