Raytheon demos Excalibur round
Raytheon has fired new Excalibur N5 projectile while conducting a live guided flight test at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, the company announced on 30 September.
Excalibur N5, a naval variant of Excalibur precision projectile used by the US Marine Corps, the US Army and various international armies, measures 5-inch/127 mm.
It is anticipated that the new system might deliver the same pinpoint accuracy of the Excalibur Ib, which is in production today, while increasing the maximum effective range to more than thrice compared with that of the conventional naval gun munitions.
Excalibur N5 can be used to support several critical mission areas like Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), Naval Surface Fire Support and countering Fast Attack Craft (FAC).
Duane Gooden, vice president, Land Warfare Systems product line, Raytheon, said: ‘Excalibur N5's range, precision and lethality will revolutionise naval gunfire and increase the offensive firepower of our navy's destroyers and cruisers. This demonstration showcases the N5's maturity as a proven low-risk solution, and is ready for the navy now.
‘With the significant amount of re-use from the Army's Excalibur programme, the N5 provides the navy with an affordable, direct path to employ a critical capability. We continue to build on Excalibur's unmatched reliability and performance by investing in a fire-and-forget, dual-mode seeker that will vastly improve the 5-inch gun's current ASuW and counter-FAC capability.’
More from Land Warfare
-
![Engineering and design mean smaller vehicles can be tank killers but is it a good idea?]()
Engineering and design mean smaller vehicles can be tank killers but is it a good idea?
The eulogy for the dedicated tank hunter or buster appears to have been written with most armies putting them out to retirement in the face of alternatives like longer-range missiles or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). However, arming infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) or armoured personnel carriers (APCs) with medium-range missiles seems to indicate some kind of tank killer is required.
-
![Light tanks for Slovakia – cost-effective alternative or false economy?]()
Light tanks for Slovakia – cost-effective alternative or false economy?
Slovakia is currently considering replacing its Soviet era main battle tanks (MBTs) with lighter alternatives. However, the lower cost of these platforms may prove to be a false economy if they cannot compete with true MBTs.
-
![How can multiple domains act as one?]()
How can multiple domains act as one?
How can we sense, make sense, and act faster than the adversary?
-
![FNSS adds punch to Pars to increase appeal]()
FNSS adds punch to Pars to increase appeal
FNSS’s Pars family of vehicles is looking to capitalise on export growth as it increases the punch of its 4×4 Wheeled Armoured Combat Vehicle (WACV).
-
![Spira’s Ilgar loitering munition in service]()
Spira’s Ilgar loitering munition in service
Armed forces are now procuring large numbers of loitering munitions with many developers having evolved their own designs to meet this burgeoning demand. Turkey’s Spira is one such company and is fulfilling contracts and developing new missiles.
