Pave Tack [SEP] manufacturer
Pave Tack
The Ford Aerospace AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack is an electro-optical targeting pod developed by the United States Air Force (USAF) for military attack aircraft. It uses a laser and a forward looking infrared to find and designate targets for laser-guided bombs and other precision-guided munitions. Pave Tack's images are routed to a cockpit display, usually for the weapon systems officer.
Pave Tack was developed in the late 1970s and entered service in 1982, and was initially used by the USAF McDonnell
equipped to carry the AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack targeting system on a rotating carriage that kept the pod protected within the weapons bay when not in use. Pave Tack featured a forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, optical camera and laser rangefinder/designator. The Pave Tack pod allowed the F-111 to designate targets and drop laser-guided bombs on them. Australian RF-111Cs carried a pallet of sensors and cameras for aerial reconnaissance use.
The FB-111 could carry two AGM-69 SRAM air-to-surface nuclear missiles in its weapons