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New Delhi. The Indian Army has finally initiated its long desired plans to modernise its artillery with the recent announcement of 145 M777 Howitzers, after a lull of twenty six years.
The primary application of these Howitzers will be mountainous, remote and environmentally hostile terrain and will be critical to incorporate munitions that provide an extended range and precision capability.
Raytheon has offered the Excalibur 155mm Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile for this gun. Also known as the M982 ER DPICM (Extended Range Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions) Projectile, is a fire and forget, smart munition. It is intended to provide the Army with a capability to attack all three key target sets, soft and armored vehicles, and reinforced bunkers, out to ranges exceeding current 155mm family of artillery munitions.
Experts have to look closely at how to get Excalibur qualified on its own inventory of 155mm Howitzers and the other guns. Leaveraging Excalibur on existing guns would strengthen the artillery modernization programme and deliver a game changing capability without the process and expense associated with procuring a complex platform.
“Commanders are able to engage targets with the Excalibur unitary in urban operations, making the most of the round’s accuracy to limit collateral damage to the immediate target area. For example, it would be the optimum munitions when the enemy uses ‘hugging tactics,’ that is when they might operate on the periphery of schools, hospitals, religious infrastructure or congregations of innocent civilians,” explained Bradley Bradford, Raytheon’s Regional Manager, Detroit Field Office.
Excalibur’s accuracy and fuzing options would allow commanders to engage targets protected by terrain variations. The self-guiding projectile would travel nearly vertically (highangle) as it leaves the firing platform and then alter its fl ight path (left/ right, up/down) to reach the target location. The international users of Excalibur include UK, Canada, Australia and Sweden.
Recently the U.S. Marine Corps successfully fired two Raytheon Company Excalibur 155mm precision-guided artillery projectiles from a range of 36 kilometers (22.3 statute miles) in theater. These shots mark the longest distance the Excalibur round has been fired in combat since its fielding in 2007.
“It is incredible to think about how this capability has evolved with its use over time, and these shots are evidence of that,” said Lt. Col. Mike Milner, U.S. Army Excalibur product manager. “We are continually improving Excalibur’s use in theater.”
“Having true precision artillery that can defeat the targets - and from such a great distance - gives our warfighters the ability to engage these targets that would otherwise be out of reach,” said Michelle Lohmeier, vice president of Land Combat Systems at Raytheon Missile Systems. “Raytheon developed and fielded the world’s first extended-range GPS-guided artillery, and we are proud of the unprecedented precision capability Excalibur gives our warfighters.”
Raytheon has fired four Excalibur 155mm precision-guided artillery projectiles from the Denelmanufactured G6 self-propelled howitzer as part of a field trial demonstration.
Multiple rounds of the combatproven Excalibur successfully fired from the G6 155mm wheeled howitzer out to a range of 38 kilometers (23.6 statute miles), with all rounds landing within 5 meters (16.4 feet) of the target.
“These trials demonstrated Excalibur can give a true precision capability to G6 howitzers that can enhance the warfighter’s defensive posture and is essential to closecombat operations,” said Kevin Matthies, Excalibur program director for Raytheon Missile Systems.
Excalibur is a family of precisionguided, extended-range modular projectiles incorporating three unique payload capabilities divided into Block configurations. As designed, Block I consists of high-explosive, fragmenting, or ting unitary munitions to enhance traditional fire support operations with increased range, improved accuracy, and reduced collateral damage against personnel, light materiel, and structure targets. Block II consists of smart munitions to search, detect, acquire, and engage fleeting and short-dwell targets common to open-terrain battlefields. Block III consists of discriminating munitions to selectively identify and engage individual vehicular targets in urban environments by distinguishing specific target characteristics.
© India Strategic
..:: India Strategic ::.. Army: Excalibur for limiting collateral damage and giving unprecedented precision capability
