. Military Space News .
Raytheon Receives Contract For Development Of Excalibur 1b

Excalibur 1a is an all-weather, precision munition that has repeatedly demonstrated better than 10 meter (32 feet) accuracy in combat.
by Staff Writers
Tucson AZ (SPX) Oct 23, 2008
The U.S. Army awarded Raytheon a $12 million contract for the initial design and maturation phase of the 155 mm, precision-guided Excalibur 1b projectile.

Excalibur 1b is the next increment in the development of the combat-proven Excalibur 1a munition. The new Excalibur design uses fewer parts and is easier to manufacture than the 1a round. The result is a more affordable projectile with enhanced reliability.

Capt. Victor Scharstein, assigned to the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division, commanded a firing battery that employed Excalibur in Iraq. According to Scharstein, the Excalibur round was "amazingly accurate," and its fires produced a 92 percent success rate.

Excalibur 1a is an all-weather, precision munition that has repeatedly demonstrated better than 10 meter (32 feet) accuracy in combat. This accuracy enables U.S. warfighters to employ Excalibur within 70 meters (229 feet) of their own position, saving lives and limiting collateral damage.

"The Excalibur 1b combines the incredible success and reliability of the Excalibur 1a with a lower unit production cost," said Steve Bennett, Raytheon Missile Systems' Excalibur program director. "We are committed to providing the U.S. Army with this precision projectile, because we know it is a game- changer for soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan."

The contract award begins an 18-month design and maturation demonstration phase. It will be followed by a "downselect" for the 18- to 30-month system qualification phase and three years of low rate initial production.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Raytheon
The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Raytheon Receives Contract For Production Of Towed Decoys
Goleta CA (SPX) Oct 21, 2008
Raytheon has received a $24.3 million contract for continued production of its ALE-50 line of towed decoys.







  • French minister opposes Georgia, Ukraine entry to NATO
  • Outside View: China's silent dominance
  • A Revolution In Russian Military Affairs Part One
  • Russian Military Machine Running On Fumes Part Two

  • Russia launches 31-year-old Stiletto missile
  • McCain raises specter of nuclear war
  • Nuclear incident would make 9/11 'insignificant': nuke commission
  • Iranian Pilots Show Off Dogfighting Skills In War Games

  • US Navy Launches Raytheon Tomahawk Block IV From Submarine
  • Army And LM Support Second Successful International PAC-3 Missile Test
  • Russia denies missile sales to Iran
  • NKorea prepares mass missile launches: reports

  • Russia Sends Out The Nuke Bombers For Week Long Exercises
  • Russia sees no point to more US missile talks: report
  • Russia expects access to US defence shield in Czech Republic: reports
  • Swords and Shields: Russia shields Syria

  • Energy Department has high school contest
  • Researchers Scientists Perform High Altitude Experiments
  • Airbus expecting 'large' China order by early 2009: CEO
  • Airbus globalises production with China plant

  • DCNS Achieves Automatic UAV Landing On Frigate
  • Successful Live-Fire Testing Of Shadow TUAS
  • AAI Receives Contract For Additional Shadow TUAS
  • TAAC 2008 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Conference

  • US, Iraq will get security pact 'worked out,' Rice says
  • Iran wants to undermine US-Iraq troops deal: Pentagon
  • Iran says US-Baghdad pact harms Iraq sovereignty
  • Iraq says will not be bullied into signing US pact

  • Raytheon Receives Contract For Development Of Excalibur 1b
  • Raytheon Receives Contract For Production Of Towed Decoys
  • Smart Bombs Score Another Hit In Extended Range Tests
  • Raytheon Air-to-Air Missile Enters Weapons System User Program

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement