Raytheon emphasised that Excalibur is a precision munition for U.S. and international artillery forces and forms part of a wider family of projectiles already used operationally. More than 1,400 rounds have been fired in combat, with the system intended to increase accuracy, minimise collateral damage and ease logistical demands.
The Excalibur projectile was co developed by Raytheon and BAE Systems Bofors and is designed to strike within less than two metres of a target. It provides accurate first round effects at all ranges and in all weather conditions, while extending the reach of 39 calibre artillery to 40 kilometres, 52 calibre artillery to 50 kilometres and 58 calibre artillery to 70 kilometres.
According to programme data, analyses show that a single Excalibur round can achieve what would typically require at least ten conventional munitions. Raytheon notes that this level of precision significantly reduces time, cost and logistical burden for artillery units.
Excalibur is compatible with every howitzer on which it has been tested and is fully qualified in systems including the M777, M109 series, M198, Archer and PzH2000. It is also compatible with AS90, K9, DENEL G6 and CAESAR 6×6 systems, and has been successfully fired from the U.S. Army’s Extended Range Cannon Artillery, with plans for further integrations underway.
Raytheon states that the projectile’s precision and broad platform compatibility provide overmatch capabilities against land targets for the U.S. and coalition partners. Sweden, Canada, Australia, Jordan, India, Spain and the Netherlands have selected Excalibur to support key security requirements, and additional partners are preparing procurement plans.
The Excalibur family includes several variants designed for specific operational needs, among them the Excalibur 1B with Enhanced Shaped Trajectory software, the Excalibur S with a semi active laser seeker and the naval Excalibur N5 for extended range maritime engagements. Excalibur HTK, the subject of the latest test milestone, incorporates an armour penetrating warhead and autonomously locates moving or imprecisely located targets using its all weather seeker.
