Article Posted on : - Oct 26, 2010

M982 Excalibur 155 mm extended range guided artillery shell.

WASHINGTON, (BNS): The US Army has completed the M982 type classification of Raytheon’s Excalibur Block Ia-2.

By designating Excalibur Block Ia-2 the M982, the US Army is accepting Excalibur Ia-2 for service use and taking the next step toward production and deployment, Raytheon said.

Excalibur is a 155 mm precision-guided artillery round with extended range. It provides accurate, first-round, fire-for-effect capability in an urban setting.

Raytheon’s Excalibur is considered a true precision weapon, landing at a radial miss distance well within 10 meters (32.8 feet) of the target. It is projected to reach full rate production in 2011.

Excalibur Ia-2 enhances Excalibur Ia-1 by increasing the range from 23 to 40 km (14.3 to 25.9 statute miles) when fired from US howitzers.