Lockheed Martin To Test Paragon Direct Attack Munition On F-16 Fighters This Year

Lockheed Martin will carry out F-16 test flights with its ‘Paragon’ Direct Attack Munition integrated on it in the second quarter of this year.

“Paragon has been successfully integrated on the F/A-18. Additional F/A-18 flight testing continues and F-16 test flights are planned for the second quarter of 2017,” the company said in a statement Friday.

Effective against fixed, relocatable and moving targets, the Paragon direct attack munition maintains the physical dimensions, mass properties and outer mold line of Lockheed Martin’s combat-proven LGB, and integrates seamlessly with aircraft employing LGBs or similar direct-attack weapons using conventional MIL-STD-1760/1553 or Universal Armament Interfaces. 

Lockheed Martin is a qualified provider of all three Paveway™ II MK-80 series LGB variants (GBU-10/MK-84 [2,000 pound], GBU-12/MK-82 [500 pound] and GBU-16/MK-83 [1,000 pound]) and is the sole provider of the Enhanced Laser Guided Training Round and DMLGB. The company has delivered over 150,000 training rounds, more than 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.