GBU - 15 Guided Bomb Unit 15 is an unpowered , glide weapon used to destroy high - value enemy targets . It was designed for use with F - 15E Strike Eagle , F - 111 ' Aardvark ' and F - 4 Phantom II aircraft , but the United States Air Force is currently only deploying it from the F - 15E . The GBU - 15 has long - range maritime anti - ship capability with the B - 52 Stratofortress . Rockwell International is the prime contractor for this weapon system . Overview . The weapon consists of modular components that are attached to either a general purpose Mark 84 bomb or a penetrating - warhead BLU - 109 bomb . Each weapon has five components — a forward guidance section , warhead adapter section , control module , airfoil components , and a weapon data link . The guidance section is attached to the nose of the weapon and contains either a television guidance system for daytime or an imaging infrared system for night or limited , adverse weather operations . A data link in the tail section sends guidance updates to the control aircraft that enables the weapon systems operator to guide the bomb by remote control to its target . An external electrical conduit extends the length of the warhead which attaches the guidance adapter and control unit . The conduit carries electrical signals between the guidance and control sections . The umbilical receptacle passes guidance and control data between cockpit control systems of the launching aircraft and the weapon prior to launch . The rear control section consists of four wings that are in an " X " - like arrangement with trailing edge flap control surfaces for flight maneuvering . The control module contains the autopilot , which collects steering data from the guidance section and converts the information into signals that move the wing control surfaces to change the weapon ' s flight path . Uses . The GBU - 15 may be used in either a direct or an indirect attack . In a direct attack , the pilot selects a target before launch , locks the weapon guidance system onto it and launches the weapon . The weapon automatically guides itself to the target , enabling the pilot to leave the area . In an indirect attack , the weapon is guided by remote control after launch . The pilot releases the weapon and , via remote control , searches for the target . Once the target is acquired , the weapon can be locked to the target or manually guided via the Hughes Aircraft AN / AXQ - 14 data - link system . This highly maneuverable weapon has an optimal , low - to - medium altitude delivery capability with pinpoint accuracy . It also has a standoff capability . During Desert Storm , all 71 GBU - 15 modular glide bombs used were dropped from F - 111F aircraft . Most notably , EGBU - 15s were the munitions used for destroying the oil manifolds on the storage tanks to stop oil from spilling into the Gulf . These EGBU - 15s sealed flaming oil pipeline manifolds sabotaged by Saddam Hussein ' s troops . The Air Force Development Test Center , Eglin Air Force Base , Florida , began developing the GBU - 15 in 1974 . The Air Force originally asked for the missile designations AGM - 112A and AGM - 112B for two versions of the system . This was declined because the weapon was an unpowered glide bomb and GBU designation was allotted instead . The M - 112 designation remains unassigned as a result . It was a product improvement of the early guided bomb used during the Vietnam War called the GBU - 8 HOBOS . The GBU - 8 could not be controlled after the bomb was released . Instead , the aircraft was forced to fly very close to the target so the WSO could acquire it . Once locked on , the weapon could be released and the aircraft could return to base . Flight testing of the weapon began in 1975 . The GBU - 15 with television guidance , completed full - scale operational test and evaluation in November 1983 . In February 1985 , initial operational test and evaluation was completed on the imaging infrared guidance seeker . In December 1987 , the program management responsibility for the GBU - 15 weapon system transferred from the Air Force Systems Command to the Air Force Logistics Command . The commands merged to become the Air Force Materiel Command in 1992 . Eight of these weapons were also deployed against Iraq ' s Osirak reactor in 1981 to halt its nuclear production as well . During the integrated weapons system management process , AGM - 130 and GBU - 15 were determined to be a family of weapons because of the commonality of the two systems . The Precision Strike Program Office at Eglin AFB became the single manager for the GBU - 15 , with the Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base , Utah providing sustainment support .