Paveway II is a guidance system fitted to a conventional general-purpose bomb.
After release, its seeker detects laser energy reflected from the target. Movable control surfaces then steer the weapon towards the designated point. Later variants can also use satellite navigation.
The system was first used operationally by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. The RAF dropped its first operational Paveway weapons during the Falklands Conflict in 1982.
The object demonstrates how precision guidance transformed modern air operations.
