The latest Raytheon Excalibur precision projectile is cleared for
operational use in Afghanistan, after proving its capability in firing
tests carried out by the United States Army.
Once in Afghanistan, the advanced 1a-2 version of the M982 Excalibur
155mm guided artillery shell, originally developed by Raytheon and BAE
Systems, will be used by both the US Marines and the US Army.
The Excalibur precision shell's meant to have the power to strike
with limited collateral damage and, in 2007, it was judged by US Army
officials as among that year's greatest military innovations.
The highly accurate weapon made its operational debut that same year
in Iraq and proved that its design philosophy worked - with more than 90
per cent of shells falling within a four meter range of the intended
target.
Excalibur Block 1a-2 Precision Shell
The Excalibur Block 1a-2 precision shell, as will now be used in
Afghanistan, has a firing range of up to 40 kilometers - approximately
twice that of a standard artillery shell.
Each unit costs in the region of $80,000 and can be deployed around the clock and in all weathers.
According to Raytheon, the shell ‘...complements air-delivered
precision when close air support is unavailable or not the best option'.
As of October 2011, in excess of 500 Excalibur rounds had been fired
either under trial conditions or in combat.
Raytheon Excalibur: Afghanistan
"The precision Excalibur provides is essential to the missions our war-fighters are conducting in urban and surrounding environments. It
protects structures, the population and our war-fighters", the US Army's
Excalibur Product Manager, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Milner explained in a
Raytheon press release on the weapon's Afghan readiness.
"The Excalibur Ia-2 rounds going into theater will give the war-fighter the ability to accurately defeat targets before the target
can run and hide."
"Raytheon developed and fielded the world's first extended-range GPS
guided precision artillery rounds", Raytheon Land Combat Systems' Vice
President, Michelle Lohmeier, added. "We continue to build upon our
legacy as the world's experts in precision munitions as we deliver
Excalibur Ia-2 to our war-fighters."
Older versions of the M982 Excalibur have been used in tandem with M777 Howitzer weapons systems.
Image copyright US Army