Hobbies And Interests
Development
Developed by Ford Aerospace in 1969 to direct Paveway laser-guided bombs, the Pave Knife system was designed to replace hand-held targeting platforms, such as the improvised Airborne Laser Designator (ALD). By 1968, Ford Aerospace had produced 12 targeting pods. Three Knifes remained in the U.S. for continued testing, while the U.S. Navy used three on Grumman A-6A Intruders. The remaining six pods were installed on specially wired F-4D Phantoms by the 8th TFW at Ubon airbase in Vietnam.
Components
Described as "banana-shaped," the 1,200-pound, externally mounted pods contained a steerable laser (designator) and closed-circuit television camera. The weapon systems officer (WSO) or bombardier/navigator (BN) used a small cockpit-mounted Sony television to steer the laser onto a target with a hand controller. Targeting information was then passed to the aircraft's gun sight. Unsuccessful attempts were made to link the Pave Knife's optics to the aircraft radar.
Deployment
With the Pave Knife carried under-wing on the inboard pylon of modified F-4D Phantom and A-6 Intruders, combat missions began on May 23, 1968, using GBU-10/B laser-guided bombs. Phantoms of the 433rd TFS, 8th TFW that were outfitted with the Pave Knife included 66-7652, 7674, 7675, 7679, 7681, 7707, 7709, 7743, 7760, 7766 and 7773. Though the Knife was a proven weapons system by the time of Operation Linebacker in 1972, the U.S. Armed Forces phased it out by the end of the war in favor of newer Paveway technology.
Successors
During Vietnam, the Pave Lance program was an attempt to improve the Pave Knife's nighttime operational capability by adding a FLIR (infrared) in place of the Knife's low-light television camera. The Pave Spike and Pave Tack later displaced the Pave Knife as the USAF's preferred targeting systems. Other laser designators following the Knife program include the Pave Arrow (AN/AVQ-14) tracker pod and the radar-sighted Pave Sword (AN/AVQ-11), a tracker designed to pick up energy from targets illuminated by O-2A spotter planes.
Trivia
Following the success of the Paul Doumer and Thanh Hoa bridge attacks during Operation Linebacker, the 8th TFW lost two of their Pave Knifes over North Vietnam. The remaining, and now quite valuable, pods were only used on critically important targets. General John Vogt, Commander of the 7th Air Force, allegedly told pilots "Don't come back if you don't have that pod with you when you return!"