TUCSON, April 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has ordered 155mm Excalibur precision-guided artillery rounds for in-theater use from Raytheon in Arizona.
The 2010 fiscal year contract, which marks the beginning of full-rate production for Excalibur 1a-2 projectiles, is worth $173 million.
"Warfighters need Excalibur because it provides a level of precision they simply cannot get with other artillery rounds," said Col. Michael Hartig, U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence.
"Excalibur's (Global Positioning System) precision makes it ideal in all terrain types, including urban settings and rugged terrain where our soldiers and Marines are close to the target."
Successfully fielded in 2007, Excalibur uses GPS guidance technology, giving it a first round fire-for-effect capability with accuracy well within 32.8 feet of its target.
With more than 300 rounds fired in theater, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps have increased use of Excalibur in the past year, Raytheon said in announcing the contract.
The monetary value of the award and a delivery schedule for the artillery rounds weren't disclosed.
The U.S. Army last summer awarded Raytheon a contract to complete the design of the Excalibur 1b precision-guided projectile. Excalibur 1b provides the lowest-risk approach to reducing the projectile's cost by an estimated 50 percent while leveraging the demonstrated performance of Excalibur 1a.
