same outer mold line and mass of the regular Paveway IV and uses a discarding shroud design. A penetrating 500 lb Paveway IV would replace the RAF's previous 2,000 lb Paveway III bunker buster. The penetrating version of the Paveway IV will enter service on the Typhoon in early 2019. Raytheon claims the new warhead has the performance of the BLU-109 penetrating bomb, despite being one-quarter of its weight. In December 2016, the Obama administration blocked a transfer of Paveway IV bombs to Saudi Arabia because of concerns about civilian casualties which officials put down to poor targeting. On 19 June 2015, a Royal Air Force test pilot released two inert Paveway IV laser-guided bombs from a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II during trials in the United States. This marked the first successful firing of a non-US munition during the F-35's development programme. Paveway IV is a future candidate for integration on the aircraft, and will be used operationally by both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy when the F-35 enters service with both arms. Operators Current operators Royal Saudi Air Force Royal Air Force Former operators Naval Strike Wing Future operators Fleet Air Arm Qatar Qatar Air Force References External links RAF Tornados lock on latest guided munition Raytheon Company products Aerial bombs of the United Kingdom Military equipment introduced in the 2000s