Excalibur upgrade hits moving targets
Raytheon’s new Excalibur S precision-guided artillery munition scored direct hits on moving targets during recent US Navy tests.
FILE PHOTO (2013): Excalibur impact during Australian trials. Photo by Major Mike Hartas.
Testing validated the projectile’s ability to survive the shock and stress of a howitzer firing, then transition from GPS to laser guidance and hit a moving target.
Excalibur® S uses the Excalibur Ib variant’s GPS technology and incorporates a semi-active laser seeker to engage mobile land and maritime targets at comparable ranges.
Existing Ib projectiles can be upgraded with Excalibur S capabilities.
Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president Sam Deneke said using artillery to engage moving targets would give soldiers more flexibility.
“Artillery is typically used to hit stationary objects, but Excalibur S expands the capability of artillery on the battlefield,” Mr Deneke said.
“Excalibur is a true precision weapon, impacting at a radial miss distance of less than two meters from the target.
“Widely used by US and international artillery forces, Excalibur has been fired more than 1400 times in combat.”
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