Paveway III LLLBG Bomb (1996)

Scale: N/A
Initial Release: 1996
Medium: Polystyrene
Kit Rarity: 4

About the Design

Developed in the mid-1990s by Texas Instruments and then manufactured by Raytheon, the Paveway III is a 2,000-bomb laser-guided bomb designed to penetrate hard targets such as underground bunkers.  The weapon is designed for low-altitude delivery and has a range of up to 10 miles. 

The first successful tests of this latest generation of Paveway III's was conducted by the U.S. Navy in 1996, after which it was cleared for use on Navy F-14A Tomcat Fighters.  The weapon was used extensively by both the U.S. Navy and Air Force n the Iraq War of 2003 to destroy underground enemy installations.

About the Kit

This injection-molded model was created and distributed by Texas Instruments as a corporate promotional item in the late 1990s.  Like many limited-run injection models created for promotional purposes, this model captured the basic shape of its subject but lacked any surface detail.  In fact, it didn't even include the bomb's distinctive clear "nose" cap; that was improvised by this modeler by cutting off the model's nose and adding a clear plastic hemisphere "window" from an old Glencoe Mars Liner kit.  The decals were also custom-made.
This model was built from the model's one and only issue.