The Marine Corps has ordered more than 1,000 additional Excalibur extended range artillery shells from Raytheon [RTN] after citing an urgent operational need for the projectiles in Afghanistan, the company said yesterday.
The 155mm precision guided Excalibur has been deployed since 2007, and the Marines have significantly increased the operational use of the mortar, Raytheon said.
“The Marines are using Excalibur as a critical, life-saving capability in Afghanistan,” Lt. Col. Mike Milner, the Army’s Excalibur product manager, said in the statement issued by Raytheon. “They have developed tactics to enable its use on demand and as a result, they have been able to conduct essential missions that would otherwise go unengaged.”
Excalibur is GPS guided and designed for a first round capability in an urban environment before close air support can arrive.