Raytheon Co. Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $9,145,220 modification (P00011) to Spanish Army contract W15QKN-19-C-0017 for procurement of Excalibur 155mm Increment Ib projectiles. Excalibur Increment 1b is a precision-guided, extended‑range, 155-millimeter unitary, high-explosive artillery projectile. The contract began June 2021 with an estimated completion date of February 22, 2023. Fiscal 2021 Foreign Military Sales (Spain) funds in the amount of $9,145,220 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Newark, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
The M982 Excalibur is a 155 mm extended range guided artillery shell developed during a collaborative effort between the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC). The Excalibur was manufactured by prime contractor Raytheon Missile Systems and BAE Systems AB. It is a GPS and inertial-guided munition capable of being used in close support situations within 75–150 meters (250–490 ft) of friendly troops or in situations where targets might be prohibitively close to civilians to attack with conventional unguided artillery fire.
There are 3 versions of the Excalibur system. Initial development effort was towards Increment I; Milestone C decisions will be made on Increment II and III in FY2013 with a demonstration of those capabilities by 2020. Increment I has a unitary penetrating warhead for use against stationary targets. Increment II “Smart” projectile for moving and time-sensitive targets. May carry either 65 DPICM or two SADARM submunitions. Increment III “Discriminating” projectile “to search, detect, and selectively engage individual vehicles by distinguishing specific target characteristics”. Increment Ib (M982A1) is a version full capability, reduced cost, mass-production round.
