Bombe Guidée Laser
Encyclopedia
Bombe Guidée Laser laser-guided bomb
s were developed by MATRA (now MBDA) starting in 1978. The guidance system had to work using the same principles as the US Paveway guided bombs. The guidance kits were intended as modifications to existing free fall bombs that were in service with the French Air Force. The semi active laser homing (SALH) guidance system was developed starting from the AS-30 laser guided missile sensor. The guidance system allowed for in-flight target illumination by the aircraft-mounted ATLIS 2 (Automatic Tracking Laser Illumination System) or with ground-based laser designators targeting pod.
The BGL targeting system are attached to 250, 400 and 1000 kg free-fall general-purpose bomb
s. The French Air Force discontinued the purchases due to the higher cost compared to the US Paveway family bombs that were adopted as an interim solution while waiting for the French-made AASM
family of guided bombs to enter service.
The BGLs were combat-proven over Bosnia in 1994-1995
and in the Kosovo conflict in Spring 1999
.
The BGL series of bombs includes:
Laser-guided bomb
A laser-guided bomb is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser homing to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. LGBs are one of the most common and widespread guided bombs, used by a large number of the world's air forces.- Overview :Laser-guided munitions use a...
s were developed by MATRA (now MBDA) starting in 1978. The guidance system had to work using the same principles as the US Paveway guided bombs. The guidance kits were intended as modifications to existing free fall bombs that were in service with the French Air Force. The semi active laser homing (SALH) guidance system was developed starting from the AS-30 laser guided missile sensor. The guidance system allowed for in-flight target illumination by the aircraft-mounted ATLIS 2 (Automatic Tracking Laser Illumination System) or with ground-based laser designators targeting pod.
The BGL targeting system are attached to 250, 400 and 1000 kg free-fall general-purpose bomb
General-purpose bomb
A general-purpose bomb is an air-dropped bomb intended as a compromise between blast damage, penetration, and fragmentation in explosive effect.-Characteristics:...
s. The French Air Force discontinued the purchases due to the higher cost compared to the US Paveway family bombs that were adopted as an interim solution while waiting for the French-made AASM
AASM
The Armement Air-Sol Modulaire is a French Precision-Guided Munition developed by Sagem Défense Sécurité. AASM comprises a frontal guidance kit and a rear-mounted range extension kit matched to a dumb bomb. The weapon is modular because it can integrate different types of guidance units and...
family of guided bombs to enter service.
The BGLs were combat-proven over Bosnia in 1994-1995
Operation Deny Flight
Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization operation that began on April 12, 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina...
and in the Kosovo conflict in Spring 1999
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
.
The BGL series of bombs includes:
- BGL-250 - 250 kg bomb
- BGL-400 - 400 kg bomb
- BGL-1000 - 1000 kg bomb