![F-4D 13th TFS 432nd TRW with Pave Sword laser 1971](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/F-4D_13th_TFS_432nd_TRW_with_Pave_Sword_laser_1971.jpg)
PAVE is a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a
code word
In communication, a code word is an element of a standardized code or protocol. Each code word is assembled in accordance with the specific rules of the code and assigned a unique meaning. Code words are typically used for reasons of reliability, ...
for the Air Force unit responsible for the project.
''Pave'' was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for a wide range of different programs,
though
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
s and alternative meanings have been used.
For example, in the helicopters
Pave Low and
Pave Hawk it was said to mean ''Precision Avionics Vectoring Equipment'',
but in
Pave Paws it was said to mean ''Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry''.
PAVE systems
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Pave Eagle – Modified Beechcraft Bonanza drone aircraft for low altitude sensor monitoring.
*
Pave Hawk – Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk special operations and combat search and rescue helicopter.
*
Pave Nail - OV-10 Bronco with Pave Spot target laser designator pod.
*
Pave Knife
The Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-10 Pave Knife was an early targeting pod developed by the USAF and US Navy to designate and guide laser-guided bombs.
Pave Knife was developed in 1969 to replace the original, essentially improvised Airborne Laser Desi ...
– Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-10 Pave Knife early laser targeting pod.
*
Pave Low – Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low special ops and combat search and rescue helicopter.
*
Pave Mint
PAVE is a United States Air Force program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a code word for the Air Force unit responsible for the project. ''Pave'' was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for ...
– Upgrade of the AN/ALQ-117 electronic warfare system to the AN/ALQ-172.
*
Pave Mover – Demonstration program to develop the AN/APY-7 radar wide-area surveillance, ground moving target indicator (GMTI), fixed target indicator (FTI) target classification, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), for the
E-8 Joint STARS
The Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is a United States Air Force airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft. It tracks ground vehicles and some aircraft, col ...
.
*
Pave Onyx
PAVE is a United States Air Force program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a code word for the Air Force unit responsible for the project. ''Pave'' was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for ...
– Vietnam era Advanced Location Strike System c.1973.
*
Pave Pace – A fully integrated avionics architecture featuring functional resource allocation.
*
PAVE PAWS – The Phased-Array Warning System which replaced the three
BMEWS radars. Pave in this case is a
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
for Perimeter
or Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry.
*
Pave Penny
The Lockheed Martin AN/AAS-35(V) Pave Penny is a laser spot tracker carried by US Air Force attack aircraft and fighter-bombers to enable them to track a laser spot on the ground. It is a receiver only, allowing the pilot to see which targets ma ...
– Lockheed-Martin AN/AAS-35(V) laser spot tracker.
*
Pave Pillar
PAVE is a United States Air Force program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a code word for the Air Force unit responsible for the project. ''Pave'' was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for ...
– Generic core avionics architecture system for combat aircraft.
*
Pave Pronto
The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, na ...
– Lockheed AC-130 Spectre gunship program.
*
Pave Spectre
The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, na ...
– Lockheed AC-130E gunships.
*
Pave Spike
The Westinghouse AN/ASQ-153\AN/AVQ-23 Pave Spike is an electro-optical laser designator targeting pod used to direct laser-guided bombs to target in daylight, visual conditions. It contained a laser boresighted to a television camera, which disp ...
– Westinghouse AN/ASQ-153\AN/AVQ-23 electro-optical laser designator pod.
*
Pave Sword
PAVE is a United States Air Force program identifier relating to electronic systems. Prior to 1979, Pave was said to be a code word for the Air Force unit responsible for the project. ''Pave'' was used as an inconsequential prefix identifier for ...
– AN/AVQ-11 Pave Sword laser tracker.
*
Pave Tack
The Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack is an electro-optical targeting pod for military attack aircraft. It uses a laser and a forward looking infrared to find and designate targets for laser-guided bombs and other precision-guided munitions. Pa ...
– Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-26 electro-optical targeting pod. Used first on
F-4
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bo ...
and then later on
F-111
The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...
F model aircraft.
*
Paveway
Paveway is a series of laser-guided bombs (LGBs).
''Pave'' or PAVE is sometimes used as an acronym for ''precision avionics vectoring equipment''; literally, electronics for controlling the speed and direction of aircraft. Laser guidance is ...
– A family of laser-guided bomb conversion kits, to be fitted to standard unguided bombs.
See also
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Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System
The Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) is the United States Navy's program that develops crewed helicopters to assist the surface fleet in anti-submarine warfare.
The purpose of LAMPS is to scout outside the limits of a fleet's radar an ...
(LAMPS)
References
Notes
Bibliography
* - Contains a list of PAVE program names relating to Laser Guided bombs
*
{{PAVE US
Equipment of the United States Air Force