M982 Excalibur
| M982 Excalibur | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Guided artillery shell |
| Place of origin | Sweden/USA |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Sweden, U.S. Army, Canada |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | BAE Systems AB/Raytheon |
| Unit cost | US$68,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 48 kg (106 lb) |
| Length | 99.6 cm (39.20 in) |
| Diameter | 155 mm |
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| Caliber | 155 mm |
| Effective firing range | Increment Ia-1: 23 kilometres (14 mi) Increment Ia-2/Ib: 40 km (25 mi) |
| Warhead | PBXN-9 |
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Guidance
system |
GPS plus inertial navigation |
The M982 Excalibur (previously XM982) is a 155 mm extended range guided artillery shell developed by Raytheon Missile Systems and BAE Systems AB. It is a GPS-guided munition capable of being used in close support situations within 150–75 metres (492–246 ft) of friendly troops. The United States plans to procure 7,474 rounds at a FY2015 program cost of $1,934.1m ($258,777 average cost per unit). As of September 2015, nearly 770 Excalibur shells had been fired in combat.
Excalibur was developed as a longer-ranged alternative to conventional artillery shells, with GPS guidance for improved accuracy. Excalibur has a range of approximately 40 to 57 kilometres (25 to 35 mi) depending on configuration, with a circular error probable (CEP) of around 5 metres (16 ft) to 20 metres (66 ft). The extended range is achieved through the use of folding glide fins, which allow the projectile to glide from the top of a ballistic arc towards the target.
The munition was co-developed by United States-based Raytheon Missile Systems (guidance system) and the Swedish BAE Systems Bofors (body, base, ballistics and payload). Excalibur is used to minimize collateral damage, for targets beyond the range of standard munitions, for precise firing within 150 metres (490 ft) of friendly troops, or when firing in a straight line from the launching cannon is limited by terrain. It has a multi-function fuze that can be programmed to explode in the air, once it hits a hard surface, or after it penetrates inside a target. One Excalibur projectile can accurately hit an intended target that would require the use of between 10 and 50 unguided artillery rounds.
Initial combat experience with Excalibur in Iraq in the summer of 2007 was highly successful, with 92% of rounds falling within 4 metres (13 ft) of the target. Its performance was so impressive that the U.S. Army planned to increase production to 150 rounds per month from the previous 18 rounds per month. In 2012, Excalibur rounds reached new record ranges in combat of 36 kilometers.
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Wikipedia