Raytheon receives $54 million Excalibur Ib order
Raytheon will supply the US Army with a second lot of the Excalibur Ib artillery round under a new $54 million contract announced on 10 September.
The Excalibur Ib is a precision-guided artillery projectile based on Raytheon's combat-proven Excalibur Ia-1 and Ia-2, a 155mm precision-guided, extended-range projectile that uses GPS precision guidance to provide accurate, first round, fire-for-effect capability in any environment.
Kevin Matthies, Raytheon Missile Systems' Excalibur program director, said: ‘No other artillery round comes close to doing what Excalibur does for the warfighter. The Excalibur Ib will not only provide industry-leading precision for the warfighter, it will also improve reliability and lower the unit cost.’
According to Raytheon, more than 690 Excalibur rounds have been fired in theatre to date. The weapon has been developed to reduce the time, cost and logistical burden traditionally associated with artillery munitions.
More from Land Warfare
-
US Army moves towards calls for bids for medium UGV as competitors warm up
The US Army’s Medium Modular Equipment Transport Trailer (M-METT) programme is planned to provide a platform between Increment II of Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport and the Palletized Load System.
-
Why bridging the gap between military and COTS systems is key to seamless defence comms (Studio)
Technology that enables armed forces to leverage existing network infrastructure can be a game-changer in many combat scenarios.
-
Europe’s future tank hits targets as MARTE programme gains momentum
An effort to develop a new European main battle tank has passed several milestones on the road to a Preliminary Design Review which is expected within two years.
-
UK MoD clears British Army’s Ajax saying “no safety concerns when operated properly”
The British Army’s Ajax armoured personnel carrier has a chequered history but hopes were high when Initial Operating Capability was declared last year. More problems saw operations suspended but the MoD reports it has identified the problems and short- and medium-term solutions.
-
Land Rover retirement schedule puts pressure on British Army vehicle plans
The British Army’s plans to replace thousands of vehicles have been troubled with resets, delays and change. It is possible, however, that genuine progress is being achieved on two of the three segments in the programme.