US Army awards Raytheon $173m contract for Excalibur
Raytheon Company received a $173 million US Army fiscal year 2010 contract for the production of Excalibur precision-guided projectile rounds for in-theater use. This contract marks the beginning of full rate production for Excalibur Ia-2.
Successfully fielded in 2007, Excalibur is a 155 mm precision-guided artillery round with extended range that is currently in use with the US Army and Marine Corps. Using GPS precision guidance technology, Excalibur provides first round fire-for-effect capability with accuracy well within 10 meters (32.8 feet) of its target. This accuracy protects warfighters in close proximity to the target and provides an unprecedented precision engagement capability.
Excalibur precision-guided projectiles give warfighters life-saving options when close air support is unavailable. With more than 300 rounds fired in theater, the US Army and Marine Corps have increased their use of Excalibur in the past year.
"Warfighters need Excalibur because it provides a level of precision they simply cannot get with other artillery rounds," said Col. Michael Hartig, US Army Fires Center of Excellence. "Excalibur's GPS precision makes it ideal in all terrain types, including urban settings and rugged terrain where our soldiers and Marines are close to the target."
In August 2010, the US Army awarded Raytheon a contract to complete the design of the Excalibur Ib precision-guided projectile. Excalibur Ib provides the lowest- risk approach to reducing the projectile's cost by an estimated 50 percent, while leveraging the demonstrated performance of Excalibur Ia.
"From early fielding of Excalibur Ia-1, it has been our commitment to continually develop this capability so that it provides a greater, more affordable benefit to the warfighter," said Michelle Lohmeier, vice president of Raytheon's Land Combat product line. "As we enter full rate production with Excalibur Ia and qualify our Excalibur Ib, we continue to evolve the design, while staying true to Excalibur's mission to limit collateral damage in theater."
Source: Raytheon
More from Land Warfare
-
GM Defense, Black Sage partner up to add drone defences to military vehicles
GM Defense has partnered with Black Sage Technologies to develop an integrated counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) capability for tactical military vehicles.
-
KMW rolls out new 120mm mortar and drone recon modules for Boxer armoured vehicle
KMW has displayed two new mission modules for the 8x8 Boxer armoured vehicle, one housing a Patria NEMO 120mm mortar turret, and the other equipped for launch and recovery of multiple UAVs for short- and long-range reconnaissance.
-
Secret customer orders Pearson’s Slice interface for tanks and engineering vehicles
An undisclosed customer has contracted Pearson Engineering to provide a suite of front-end equipment - including the Slice interface – for its tank and combat engineering vehicle programmes.
-
Bundeswehr orders 57 Rheinmetall heavy trucks
The German Bundeswehr has ordered 57 HX81 trucks worth over €50 million from Rheinmetall.
-
Poland forges ahead with air defence integration
Poland is exploring integrating Northrop Grumman's IBCS command and control system with the short-range elements of its multi-layer air defence network as it seeks to accelerate delivery of the capability.