The US Air Force has awarded Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Mass., the maximum available share of three competitive contracts for the production of Paveway II laser-guided bomb components. The contracts include a 70 percent share of the fiscal 2004 bomb procurements for the US Air Force and Navy worth $116 million, and a stand-alone agreement to provide front-end guidance units to the Air Force.

Fabricated for air-to-ground warfare, the Paveway bomb system incorporates computer control technology that detects and guides the unit to a target illuminated by an external laser source. The control group that Raytheon will deliver is upgradable to the company's dual-mode (laser and global positioning system) Enhanced Paveway II systems. The components will be produced mainly at Raytheon plants in Tucson, Ariz., and Sherman, Texas.