The PGM 500 and PGM 2000 are guided bombs developed by Alenia Marconi Systems and now marketed by MBDA. The PGM 500 carries a 500 lb (227 kg) warhead, and the PGM 2000 a 2000 lb (909 kg) one. The weapons are available with interchangeable laser, TV, or infra-red seekers.
In 1984, the US company International Signal and Control (ISC) began work on a series of guided bombs and missiles for the United Arab Emirates. ISC was purchased by the British company Ferranti in 1987, with Ferranti in turn becoming part of GEC-Marconi in 1991. Development of the missile programme continued through these changes, with the missiles first displayed in public at the 1994 Farnborough Air Show.[1]
There are two major versions of the missile family, one with a 500 lb (227 kg) warhead, called the PGM-500, and one with a 2,000 lb (910 kg) warhead, called the PGM-2000. Four large wings in a "squashed-X" arrangement are fitted at the rear of the missile, with small horizontal fins just behind the missile's nose. The PGM-2000 has an additional stabilising fin under the missile's nose. Both versions are rocket powered, with the PGM-500 having a single solid-fuel rocket slung under the missile body, while the PGM-2000 has two similar rocket engines. This gives a range of 15 km (9.3 mi) at low-level and 50 km (31 mi) at altitude. Both missiles can be fitted with semi-active laser guidance, TV guidance or imaging infra-red guidance, with a data-link pod required aboard the launch aircraft for the latter two options.[2]
An unpowered version, called Lancelot, was proposed in 1993 to meet a UK requirement for a laser-guided bomb, but this was unsuccessful.[1] A turbojet-powered version called Pegasus was offered for the UK's Conventional Armed Standoff Missile (CASOM) programme, with a range of over 250 kilometres (160 mi) and revised guidance, but this was rejected in favour of the MBDAStorm Shadow missile. A revised version, called Centaur was offered to the UAE, but this too was rejected in favour of a version of Storm Shadow, called Black Shaheen.[3]
Service
Production of the laser- and TV-guided variants began in 1990, entering service with the United Arab Emirates Air Force in 1992. The IR-guided weapons entered production in 1993 and entered service in 1995.[2]
