Ramona Adams
Lockheed Martin has introduced the Paragon brand name for the company’s dual-mode, laser-guided bombs.
The Bethesda, Maryland-based defense contractor said Thursday Paragon is guided by an inertial navigation system and designed to engage fixed, relocatable and moving targets.
Joe Serra, director of precision guided systems at Lockheed’s missiles and fire control business, said the direct attack munition works to engage targets from a farther release point than other dual-mode or GPS-guided weapons.
Paragon has been integrated onto F/A-18 Hornet aircraft and will be demonstrated with F-16 aircraft during flight tests scheduled for the second quarter of 2017.
Lockheed said it has supplied more than 150,000 training rounds, 75,000 Paveway II LGB kits and 7,000 dual-mode systems to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and 23 international customers.
