Historical Highlights: Pave Knife This week on Historical Highlights, brought to you by the China Lake Museum, we are looking at Pave Knife aka AN/AVQ-10. The Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-10 Pave Knife was an early targeting pod developed by the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Navy for the designation and guidance of laser-guided bombs. Laser-guided bombs require an external source to illuminate the target with a laser. The Pave Knife system was developed in 1969 to replace the hand-held Airborne Laser Designator (ALD) used by weapons systems operators in the second seat of the aircraft to mark targets for Paveway laser-guided bombs. The introduction of a laser targeting pod significantly enhanced operational capabilities. The Pave Knife pod was mounted beneath the aircraft, featured a banana-like shape and weighed 1,200 pounds. Transitioning from holding a laser designator pointed out the window at the target to using a small Sony television screen in the cockpit, where the weapons systems operators could direct the laser to the target using a hand controller was a huge leap forward. Once the target was designated, the information would be relayed through the aircraft's gun sight. The system incorporated several technologies, including image stabilization, night vision, laser target designation, and optical tracking, allowing it to remain locked on moving ground targets despite high G-forces and extreme temperature variations. A second aircraft equipped with laser-guided bombs, utilizing a guidance system provided by Texas Instruments, would operate in conjunction with the first aircraft to release the munitions. Pave Knife was employed by F-4 Phantom II and A-6 Intruder aircraft in attack roles. The Naval Weapons Center at China Lake adapted the Pave Knife laser target designator for use on the Navy’s A-6 aircraft. The system saw operational use during the Vietnam War, demonstrating the combat effectiveness of laser-guided bombs. Notably, in one engagement, the Pave Knife enabled the destruction of 14 Vietnamese bridges within three hours. The Pave Knife was eventually succeeded by the Pave Spike and Pave Tack systems and is no longer in service. A dozen USAF F-4Ds from the 433d Tactical Fighter Squadron, all from Block 31, were configured for Pave Knife. Of the twelve pods built, six were deployed to Southeast Asia, three were held in reserve, and three were allocated to the U.S. Navy for use on A-6As of VA-145. The development of the Pave Knife system exemplified effective collaboration between military and private enterprise, achieving notable production and economic milestones. The contract for designing and constructing the system was based on a "fixed price," ensuring no budget over-runs or cost obfuscation. Due to the urgent need for accurate munitions minimizing collateral and political damage, the Pave Knife progressed from concept to functional device in approximately nine months, with deployment following within twelve months. Consequently, the number of units built was limited, with each unit being handcrafted. The total number utilized by the USAF in Vietnam was likely only six, with operational losses and wear further reducing this number to three or four. The China Lake Museum retains one of the remaining pods, which will be included in the museum’s forthcoming exhibit hall. Do you remember support this system at China Lake? Do you remember using this system of follow on systems while in uniform? (fb)

Museum is Closed Today Back Open Tuesday @10-4pm🚀🚀🚀 (fb)