At Euronaval 2014, Raytheon is showcasing for the first time the naval
version of its combat proven Excalibur precision-guided projectile:
The Excalibur N5. Retaining all the capabilities of the land version,
the N5 has been adapted to be fired from a 5-inch (127mm) naval gun
with a range of 50 kilometers and an average miss distance of 2 meters. |
The
original Excalibur is a 155mm precision-guided, extended-range projectile
that uses GPS guidance to provide accurate, first-round effects capability
in any environment. By using Excalibur's level of precision, there is
a major reduction in the time, cost and logistical burden associated
with using other artillery munitions. With over 700 projectiles fired
in theater to date, Excalibur is a revolutionary precision projectile
for the U.S. Army and Marines. Analyses have shown it can take 10 to
50 conventional munitions to accomplish what one Excalibur can.
Raytheon representatives at Euronaval 2014 told Navy Recognition
that the Excalibur N5 is gun agnostic: It may be fired from BAE
System's 5-inch or Oto Melara 127mm guns alike.
Excalibur N5 is effective against land as well as at sea targets. In
a typical ASUW scenario, a surface combatant could use remote sensors
such as a UAV to located an enemy ship, and hit it accurately up to
50 Km away. The Excalibur N5 would come down at a vertical angle of
fall and hit the target with high accuracy.
Update 12/11/2014
Navy Recognition asked a few more details regarding Excalibur N5
and Raytheon got back to us with answers:
Navy Recognition: Is Raytheon developing a version of Exalibur N5 that
will work with a 76 mm gun?
Excalibur Business Development Senior Manager Paul Daniels: "Not
at this time, but we are considering options for leveraging proven Excalibur
and other Raytheon technologies for application in various naval gun
systems."
Navy Recognition: Please provide more details about the Excalibur N5's
ability to engage surface targets at sea.
Paul Daniels: "Modern naval fire control systems on board naval
vessels have the capability to use a radar track (speed and heading
of the moving vessel) to calculate a predicted intercept point for gunfire
engagement. In this manner, a GPS guided projectile provides a baseline
capability to intercept moving vessels, especially larger ships that
cannot maneuver rapidly. At the same time, Raytheon will be offering
more than one dual mode seeker options capable of greatly increasing
the probability of successful engagement of smaller, highly maneuverable
vessels. Regarding the trajectory and time of flight, Excalibur N5 will
use the same shaped trajectory used by Excalibur Ib. The steep angle
of fall is not achieved by using a high arc , but through Its high maneuverability.
The latter allows the projectile to pull down sharply at the end of
its flight to achieve its steep angle of fall. Times of flight will
be similar to Excalibur Ib."
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Raytheon's Excalibur N5 displayed for the first time at an exhibition