US Army awards Raytheon $36m for Excalibur Ib
The US Army awarded Raytheon Company a $36 million contract for the final phase of the Excalibur Ib development programme. This phase concludes with warfighter tests and will qualify Excalibur Ib for fielding.
The Excalibur Ib is a long-range, precision-guided artillery projectile based on Raytheon's combat-proven Excalibur Ia. Excalibur Ib features a non-spinning fixed base, uses fewer parts and requires simpler manufacturing than Excalibur Ia resulting in increased reliability and a significantly reduced cost.
"Raytheon has conducted more than 50 live-fire tests since August 2010, and the results from these tests have enabled our talented engineers to further refine the Excalibur Ib design," said Michelle Lohmeier, vice president of Raytheon's Land Combat product line. "By consistently demonstrating an unprecedented precision capability, we have high confidence in our Excalibur Ib design as the objective solution."
Excalibur Ib was designed to grow with the needs of the warfighter and incorporates a reprogrammeming port that makes it possible for the warfighter to modify the performance of the round in response to changing threats and evolving tactics.
Excalibur is the world's only deployed extended-range GPS-guided artillery round, and has been fired more than 300 times in theater since its early fielding in 2007. Both the US Army and Marine Corps have increased their use of this life-saving weapon over the past year.
Source: Raytheon
More from Land Warfare
-
![Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression]()
Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression
Romania is retiring old systems, some Soviet, and replacing them with western equipment from countries such as Sweden and Turkey and boosting existing modern fleets.
-
![Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV]()
Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV
Milrem has delivered or is building a total of 200 Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System UGVs and has chosen Texelis as partner in its effort to develop a UGV.
-
![Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system]()
Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system
The most recent nation to join NATO has joined other member nations in using the M3 system.
-
![CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent]()
CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent
Slovakia is undergoing a radical refresh of its equipment, like many central and eastern European countries, and the arrival of new vehicles will form a substantial part of this.
-
![Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace]()
Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace
In conversation... Patria’s Lauri Pauniaho talks to Shephard's Gerrard Cowan about how high mobility levels are essential for mortar systems in the face of modern counter-battery fire, and how a new platform-agnostic module can combine existing vehicles and mortar barrels into a cost-effective new weapon system.
