Canada to deliver state-of-the-art Excalibur 155mm GPS guided munitions to Ukraine

Defense News April 2022 Global Security army industry
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On April 22, 2022, the Canadian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced the delivery of M777 155mm towed howitzers and ammunition to Ukraine. Citing additional information released by the Canadian MoD, the shipment of ammunition will also include an undisclosed number of GPS precision-guided Excalibur artillery ammunition.
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U.S. soldiers of Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, fired the first 155 mm global positioning system-guided Excalibur artillery round in Afghanistan. (Picture source U.S. DoD)

The M777 is a 155mm towed howitzer to provide timely, accurate, and continuous firepower in support of land force units. It can be fitted with the digital fire control system and software update allowing the firing of Excalibur projectile. It can fire all standard 155mm NATO ammunition with a maximum firing range of 24.7 km with standard projectiles and 30 km with rocket-assisted rounds. Using the Excalibur GPS guided munitions, it can reach a target at a maximum range of 40 km with an accuracy of 10 m.

The Excalibur is a 155 mm, Global Positioning System (GPS)-guided, extended-range artillery projectile in use as the US. Army’s next-generation cannon artillery precision munitions. It provides improved fire support to the maneuver force commander, increases lethality, and reduces collateral damage. The target, platform location and GPS-specific data are entered into the projectile’s mission computer through an Enhanced Portable Inductive Artillery Fuze Setter.

The Excalibur projectile uses a jam-resistant internal GPS receiver to update the inertial navigation system, providing precision in-flight guidance and dramatically improving accuracy to less than two meters miss distance regardless of range. The Excalibur projectile has three fuze options (point-detonation, point-detonation delay and height-of-burst) and is employable in all weather conditions and terrains. Excalibur’s capabilities allow for first-round effects on targets while simultaneously minimizing collateral damage and the number of rounds required to engage targets.