Concept to Combat: Laser-Guided Bombs in the Vietnam War
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Speaking of knowledge bombs, Mike hosts Ed Cobleigh to talk about Paveway: the laser- guided bomb.
Ed flew 375 combat missions during the Vietnam War in the F-4 Phantom and was one of the first people to drop the Paveway laser-guided bomb in combat way back in 1968!
He earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and went on to attend Fighter Weapons School, where he remained in order to stand up the guided weapons division and teach Paveway LGB employment.
Ed’s had a wild life beyond the Air Force, and is now an author with 5 books (and counting).
This episode covers not just the tech and tactics but also a first-person account of dropping LGBs in combat 56 years ago!
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Show Notes
00:00
00:34 intro
01:58 How Ed got to Vietnam
02:31 background of guided bombs
03:35 Paveway history
07:19 Project White Lightning
09:03 the first laser designator
10:19 Dropping the LGBs
12:15 results from the first tests
14:00 training for the first LGB drop
15:04 Zot nickname
17:49 Ed's 2nd tour
20:17 Navy gets Paveway
22:21 teaching LGBs at Nellis
23:45 Red Flag
25:16 Targeting Pods
26:57 Linebacker 1972
27:56 Dragons Jaw Bridge
29:51 Paveway’s legacy
30:46 F-117 and Paveway
32:37 Paveway III
34:29 Paveway lawsuit
35:26 Ed's books
37:45 outro
For those interested in #military #nationaldefense #warfare #nationalsecurity #defense #nationaldefense #tech #technology #defensetech #army #navy #airforce #innovation #F4 #vietnam #aviation #airplanes #aerospace