SMART WEAPONS

In the late 1960s, U.S. jets armed with conventional free-falling bombs flew more than 800 sorties against the Than Hoa Bridge in Vietnam, losing at least 10 aircraft and failing to bring down the span.

In 1972, four F-4 Phantom II jets took only 15 minutes to destroy the bridge with the first “smart bombs.” Laser-guided bombs were also used successfully in the 1986 U.S. raid on Libya.

Here’s a look at the newest weapons in the U.S. arsenal: HOW THEY WORK

Laser-guided weapons can see and home in on an invisible laser beam that is kept trained on a target by the air crew or soldiers on the ground. The laser remains aimed at the target even as the pilot takes evasive action.

Television-guided weapons can either be locked onto a target by computer or guided by the air crew. The weapons officer views the target through a television monitor which is fed by a visual link from a camera in the nose of the missile, and guides the weapon to the target with a joystick.

LIMITATIONS

The enemy can use electronic trickery to fool radar-guided weapons, or smoke to mask targets.

Dust and debris of battle can scatter the laser beam, distracting the bomb from its target.

The laser can overheat and malfunction.

Poor military intelligence can leave weapons officers with inaccurate targeting data.

Radar-homing weapons can lose contact and self-destruct if the radar switches off too quickly.

THE U.S. ARSENAL

AGM-65 Maverick: Television or laser-guided missile, a relative lightweight at 426 pounds, meant for small targets, with a 25-mile range. AGM-88A HARM: (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile): Homes in on enemy ground defense radar signals, has a 50-mile range and carries a 145-lb high-explosive warhead. Paveway III: Laser-guided missile with 1,000-lb. warhead and stand-off range of more than 15 miles. AGM-130: Television or infrared-guided missile, with a 15-mile range and 2,000-lb warhead. AGM-84E SLAM: (Stand-off Land Attack Missile): Long-range, all-weather missile with inertial guidance and radar homing, 90-mile range and 500-lb high-explosive warhead. GBU-15: Television-guided glide bomb with a 2,000-lb warhead and range of 5 miles.

Source: Jane’s Weapon Systems, The Great Book of Modern Warplanes, Modern Airborne Missiles