M982 Excalibur

Description

Excalibur, named after the mythical sword of King Arthur, was developed as a longer-range alternative to conventional artillery shells, with GPS guidance for improved accuracy. Excalibur has a range of approximately 40 to depending on configuration, with a circular error probable (CEP) of 4 m, while unguided Western artillery shells can land up to 150 m from the target at a range of 24 km. While much more expensive at $68,000 per shell compared to an $800 unguided M777 shell, it is less expensive than the $150,000 rocket used in US guided-missile systems like M142 HIMARS and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System. Excalibur's extended range is achieved through the use of folding glide fins, which allow the projectile to glide from the top of a ballistic arc toward the target. A lower cost alternative to the Excalibur is to use the US Army designed M1156 precision guidance kit to turn existing 155 mm shells into precision weapons.

The munition was co-developed by United States-based Raytheon Missiles & Defense (guidance system) and the Swedish BAE Systems Bofors (body, base, ballistics, and payload). Excalibur is used to minimize collateral damage, for targets beyond the range of standard munitions, for precise firing within 150 m of friendly troops, or when terrain prevents direct fire. It has a multi-function fuze that can be programmed to explode in the air, once it hits a hard surface, or after it penetrates a target. One Excalibur projectile can accurately hit an intended target that would require the use of between 10 and 50 unguided artillery rounds.

Initial combat experience with Excalibur in Iraq in the summer of 2007 was highly successful, with 92% of rounds falling within 4 m of their targets. Its performance was so impressive that the U.S. Army planned to increase production to 150 rounds per month from the previous 18 rounds per month. In 2012, Excalibur rounds reached new record ranges in combat of 36 km. In December 2020, the round was successfully tested out to a range of 43.5 mi using a supercharged propellant out of a 58-caliber-long Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) gun tube.

Self-propelled guns compatible with the Excalibur projectile are the American M109A6 Paladin and M109A7, British AS-90, German PzH 2000, South African G6, Swedish Archer and French Caesar. Towed guns compatible with the Excalibur projectile are the American M198 and M777 howitzers. According to media, Excalibur ammunition was also used with AHS Krab in 2022 in combat in Ukraine, obtaining range above 40 km.

The U.S. Navy had considered using the Excalibur in the Zumwalt-class destroyer's Advanced Gun System following the cancelation of the Long Range Land Attack Projectile, but the plan was later abandoned.

The Excalibur has been shown to be vulnerable to GPS jamming. When shells were first supplied to Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they initially hit targets with a 70% efficiency rate. However, within six weeks the Russians had adapted their electronic warfare systems and reduced its efficiency to only 6%.

Variants

There are three versions of the system. Initial development effort was toward Increment I; Milestone C decisions were to 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 Ia-1: Accelerated development, reduced-range round. Entered service in 2007. (XM982)
  • Increment Ia-2: Extended-range round with resistance to GPS jamming. (M982)
  • Increment Ib: Full-capability, reduced-cost, mass-production round. (M982A1)
    • Excalibur S: In June 2013, Raytheon initiated an internally funded program to upgrade the Excalibur Ib with additional semi-active laser targeting capability. The SAL seeker allows the shell to attack targets that have re-positioned after firing or are moving, and to change the impact point to avoid collateral damage.
    • Excalibur N5: Version of the Excalibur S downsized into a 127 mm shell to give naval guns mounted on destroyers and cruisers the ability to fire extended-range guided projectiles. Raytheon was also considering a millimeter wave seeker for fire-and-forget operations.
    • Excalibur HTK: Excalibur HTK has an armor-penetrating warhead and leverages the proven StormBreaker smart weapon design. It autonomously locates a target with an all-weather seeker that is effective against moving and imprecisely located targets.
    • Excalibur EST: Excalibur Shaped Trajectory, allows the shell to make its final approach at an angle; demonstrated in August 2018 and deployed shortly thereafter.
• 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".

History

Excalibur started as a development program in 1992. The Operational Requirements Document (ORD) of May 1997 called for 200,000 rounds of an unguided munition with increased range at an estimated cost of $4,000/round, and Texas Instruments was awarded the initial EMD contract on 23 January 1998. In November 2001 the volume was cut to 76,677 rounds and soon after this was further reduced to 61,483, but the developers were encouraged by the Indian experience of using Russian Krasnopol guided shells against Pakistani bunkers in the Kargil War of 1999.

In March 2004 the program was merged with a Swedish/U.S. program to create Trajectory Correctable Munitions, reflected in a new ORD in September 2004 which removed the Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition "cluster bomb" variant in favor of the discriminating munition variant. Later that year the U.S. Army reduced its planned order to 30,000 rounds. Low-rate production of 500 rounds was approved in May 2005 and Raytheon was awarded a contract to produce 165 rounds in June 2005, In September of that year, the round was successfully demonstrated at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Raytheon was awarded a $42.7 million contract for production of 335 Excalibur projectiles and related test articles and services in June 2006 for that fiscal year.

In August 2006, technical problems relating to environmental sensitivity and GPS signal lock were discovered, pushing the expected in-service date to spring 2007. Testing in September demonstrated an actual average CEP of 5 m or better.

Increment Ia-1 completed testing in early 2007 and in April that year the U.S. Army approved an Urgent Material Release to allow deployment to Iraq. Increment Ia-2 achieved a 40 km range in a live-fire demonstration in April 2007 and in July the Army Acquisition Executive approved the Milestone C decision for Ia-2 to enter low-rate production. In 2008 unit cost was US$85,000.

In September 2008 both Raytheon and Alliant Techsystems were awarded competitive development contracts for Increment Ib mass production, Test firings of Increment Ia-1 rounds in March 2009 revealed that the Honeywell inertial measurement unit was not up to standard, and it was replaced by a unit from Atlantic Inertial Systems. In April 2010 the U.S. Army's planned order was cut further, from 30,000 rounds to 6,264, which increased the unit cost sufficiently that it triggered an investigation under the Nunn–McCurdy Amendment. Normally a Nunn-McCurdy breach signals a program in trouble, but a 2012 RAND report concluded that the unit cost increases were caused by the cuts in procurement numbers: fewer shells were needed for the same effect, due to the improved accuracy of modern artillery.

The Excalibur gives U.S. brigade commanders a precision weapon that is locally available, regardless of weather conditions (unlike bombs dropped from aircraft). Because the M982 is so accurate, the risks of friendly-fire casualties and collateral damage are no longer deterrents to using gun artillery in urban environments, and the Excalibur is sometimes called in only 50 m away from friendly infantrymen. In February 2012, a U.S. Marine Corps M777 howitzer in Helmand province, Afghanistan, fired a single Excalibur round that killed a group of insurgents at a Marine-record range of 36 km.

In December 2012, Raytheon received a $56.6 million contract for low-rate initial production of Excalibur Ib projectiles. On 10 September 2013, Raytheon received a $54 million contract for a second lot of Excalibur Ib artillery rounds. The Excalibur Ib has improved reliability and lower unit cost than the previous Excalibur Ia-1 and Ia-2. At the time of the award, over 690 Excalibur projectiles had been fired in theater. In February 2014, the U.S. Army and Raytheon fired 30 Excalibur Ib shells at test targets to confirm the performance and reliability of the configuration before full-rate production. Projectiles were fired from Paladin and M777 howitzers at ranges from 7 to, each hitting within an average of 1.6 m from the target.

On 3 April 2014, the last Excalibur Ia projectile was assembled, signaling the transition to Increment Ib focus. Over 6,500 Ia shells were delivered to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps as well as several international customers. Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for the Excalibur Ib was completed in May 2014, moving the projectile closer to full-rate production. Testing of the Excalibur Ib averaged a miss distance of less than 2 m. On 31 July 2014, Raytheon received a $52 million contract to begin full-rate production of the Excalibur Ib shell.

In June 2014, Raytheon successfully test-fired its Excalibur S shell with a dual-mode GPS/SAL guidance system. The variant incorporates a laser spot tracker (LST) into the Excalibur Ib shell. The test was to validate the LST's ability to survive being fired from a howitzer and was initialized with GPS coordinates, then a laser designator guided the round to the target. In February 2020, Raytheon announced the Excalibur S had been successfully tested against a moving target using its laser seeker.

In December 2019, the Indian Army conducted firing trials of Excalibur guided shells in the Pokhran Field Firing Range from one of its M777 howitzer. India procured 600 units of the type in October the same year (500 with 20 m CEP and 100 with 2 m CEP). India will use this ammunition from all 155 mm caliber guns including M777, Haubits FH77, Dhanush and K9 Vajra-T.

In April 2024, Hanwha Aerospace conducted test fires of the M982A1 Excalibur Increment Ib at Yuma Proving Ground using Norwegian K9 VIDAR variant. The K9 used various fuze modes and achieved less than one meter CEP in Point Detonating mode and 5 meters above the target in Height of Burst mode from 50 km away.

As per reports in July 2025, the Indian Army is expected to urgently procure additional Excalibur shells following its extensive use during Operation Sindoor. As reported on 20 November, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) approved the supply of 216 Excalibur artillery shells at a cost of $47 million. Simultaneously, the supply of Javelin missile systems including 100 missiles and 25 launcher control units at a cost of $46 million.

Excalibur N5

In September 2015, Raytheon conducted a live fire guided test flight of the Excalibur N5, a company-funded initiative to reduce the 155 mm Excalibur shell to 127 mm (5") for use with naval guns mounted on destroyers and cruisers. The Excalibur Ib and N5 have 70% commonality, 99% identical software, and the same guidance and navigation unit (GNU). Its primary uses would be to allow warships to accurately fire shells against land targets in support of troops ashore and inexpensively destroy fast attack craft (FAC) at longer ranges.

Unguided 127 mm shells from Mark 45 naval guns have a range of 13 nmi, but can deliver accurate fire only out to 8 nmi, while small cruise missile-carrying attack boats can launch from 15–20 nmi away. Like the land-based version, the Excalibur N5's guidance fins pop out after launch to glide the round out to longer ranges before turning nose-down and diving to the target, extending range to 20–26 nmi depending on gun barrel length; although range would be greater with rocket assistance, cost would also be greater. Alternative seekers will be added to hit maneuvering targets, such as laser guidance that requires a spotter to designate it, and millimeter wave radar that needs no outside guidance.

Operators

Current operators

• Australia
• Canada – Canadian Army
• Jordan
• India
• Netherlands – Royal Netherlands Army: First ordered in 2015, qualified to enter service in October 2018.
• Spain
• Sweden
• Ukraine: Excalibur munitions were donated to the armed forces of Ukraine for use in M777 howitzers and AHS Krab following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• United States – U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps

Future or pending operators

• Norway – pending United States Department of Defense's foreign military sales request.
• Denmark

References

Bibliography

• Jane's Ammunition Handbook 2003–2004

References

1. (7 April 2005). "Development of the XM982 Excalibur Fuzing System".
2. ARG. "M982 Excalibur - Guided artillery shell".
3. "Excalibur Datasheet".
4. "Some Recent Sensor-Related Army Critical Technology Events". National Defense University.
5. [http://breakingdefense.com/2016/01/excalibur-goes-to-sea-raytheon-smart-artillery-shoots-back/ Excalibur Goes To Sea: Raytheon Smart Artillery Shoots Back] {{Webarchive. link. (1 March 2017 – Breakingdefense.com, 12 January 2016)
6. (March 2015). "GAO-15-342SP DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs". US Government Accountability Office.
7. [http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2015-09-30-Raytheons-combat-proven-Excalibur-moves-closer-to-sea-based-application "Raytheon's combat-proven Excalibur moves closer to sea-based application."] {{Webarchive. link. (2 October 2015 – Raytheon news release, 30 September 2015)
8. http://raytheon.mediaroom.com/2016-02-16-US-Army-awards-Raytheon-31-8-million-contract-for-continued-Excalibur-production {{Webarchive. link. (27 August 2017 – Raytheon news release, 16 February 2016. Contract amount was $31.8 million for 464 rounds.)
9. [https://www.armyrecognition.com/october_2018_global_defense_security_army_news_industry/raytheon_us_army_upgrade_excalibur_precision_guided_projectile.html Raytheon, US Army upgrade Excalibur precision guided projectile] {{Webarchive. link. (11 October 2018 . ''Army Recognition''. 9 October 2018.)
10. "Precision Strike Association - Excalibur Overview".
11. (31 December 2011). "Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) – Excalibur". US Department of Defense.
12. "Raytheon Company: Excalibur". Raytheon.com.
13. Clark, Colin. (27 October 2010). "Excalibur Use Rises In Afghanistan". DoD Buzz.
14. John Pike. "XM982 Excalibur 155mm Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile". Globalsecurity.org.
15. (19 September 2006). "Raytheon-BAE Systems Bofors' Excalibur Closer to Fielding". Spacewar.com.
16. MacDonald, Alistair. (9 October 2022). "BAE, U.S. in Talks to Restart M777 Howitzer Production After Ukraine Success". Wall Street Journal.
17. [https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/m1156.htm XM1156 precision guidance kit (PGK)]. Global Security.
18. "XM982 Excalibur 155mm Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile". Globalsecurity.org.
19. "Big Guns". MichaelYon.com.
20. [https://www.army.mil/article/12329/ Picatinny's GPS-guided Excalibur artillery round deemed 'amazingly accurate' by troop] – Army.mil, 11 September 2008
21. [http://www.armyrecognition.com/february_2014_global_defense_security_news_uk/us._army_raytheon_successfully_fired_30_gps-guided_excalibur_projectiles_during_firing_test_0802142.html US. Army and Raytheon successfully fired 30 GPS-guided Excalibur projectiles during firing test] {{Webarchive. link. (5 March 2014 – Armyrecognition.com, 8 February 2014)
22. Aviation Week & Space Technology, 2007-09-03, page 20
23. [http://www.thelocal.se/13880/20080822/ Swedish missile among U.S. Army's favourites in Iraq] {{webarchive. link. (26 August 2008 ''The Local'', 22 August 2008)
24. [http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_Marines_fire_Excalibur_from_record_range_in_Afghanistan_999.html "US Marines fire Excalibur from record range in Afghanistan."] {{Webarchive. link. (17 June 2012 ''Space War'', 13 June 2012.)
25. Judson, Jen. (21 December 2020). "Army long-range cannon gets direct hit on target 43 miles away".
26. [https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/12/23/new-army-cannon-hits-target-43-miles-away-test.html New Army Cannon Hits Target 43 Miles Away in Test]. ''[[Military.com]]''. 23 December 2020.
27. (10 December 2013). "Excalibur demonstrates unparalleled precision in live-fire testing from PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer".
28. Jakub Palowski. (14 November 2022). "Kraby walczą Excaliburem".
29. [https://news.usni.org/2019/01/21/navy-studying-hyper-velocity-projectile-ammo-zumwalt-guns Navy Studying Hyper Velocity Projectile, Other Ammo for Zumwalt Guns] {{Webarchive. link. (25 January 2019 . ''USNI News''. 21 January 2019.)
30. [https://www.twz.com/air/jdam-er-winged-bombs-with-seekers-that-home-in-on-gps-jammers-headed-to-ukraine JDAM-ER Winged Bombs With Seekers That Home In On GPS Jammers Headed To Ukraine]. ''The War Zone''. 3 May 2024.
31. "Strategy Page – Excalibur Delayed Again".
32. [http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2012annual_psr/Milner.pdf Precision Strike Association Excalibur Overview] {{webarchive. link. (22 December 2014)
33. [http://www.deagel.com/news/Raytheon-Unveils-Excalibur-with-Dual-GPS-and-Semi-Active-Laser-Guidance_n000011678.aspx Raytheon Unveils Excalibur with Dual GPS and Semi-Active Laser Guidance] {{Webarchive. link. (6 June 2014 – Deagel.com, 20 June 2013)
34. link. (6 September 2015 – Defensesystems.com, 16 June 2014)
35. "Excalibur Projectile". Raytheon (an [[RTX Corporation.
36. (2007). "Excalibur XM982 Precision Engagement Projectiles". Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation.
37. (2012). "Root Cause Analyses of Nunn-McCurdy Breaches, Volume 2 – Excalibur Artillery Projectile and the Navy Enterprise Resource Planning Program, with an Approach to Analyzing Complexity and Risk". RAND Corporation.
38. (7 February 2006). "'One Shot, One Kill' May Not Be Worth It". StrategyPage.
39. (30 June 2005). "Raytheon Receives $22.1M to Deliver Excalibur GPS Shells Ahead of Schedule". Defense Industry Daily.
40. [http://www.rdecom.army.mil/rdemagazine/200510/itf_excalibur.html Troops could have new Picatinny-developed smart artillery munition by March – RDECOM Magazine] {{webarchive. link. (19 June 2006)
41. "XM982 Excalibur".
42. "Strategy Page – Excalibur Freeze Out".
43. "Successful Safety Testing of GPS-Guided Artillery Projectile Puts Raytheon-BAE Systems Bofors' Excalibur Closer to Fielding – Raytheon".
44. "America's First Team first-ever to fire Excalibur precision munition in combat".
45. [http://www.dsca.osd.mil/PressReleases/36-b/2008/Australia_08-51.pdf Defense Security Cooperation Agency, April 2008] {{webarchive. link. (18 July 2009)
46. "Cannot Get Enough Excalibur".
47. Lamothe, Dan. (30 June 2012). "Long shot: Artillery battery sets lethal record". Marine Corps Times.
48. link. (4 March 2013 – Raytheon press release, 20 February 2013)
49. [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-army-awards-raytheon-54-million-for-excalibur-ib-223077421.html US Army awards Raytheon $54 million for Excalibur Ib] {{Webarchive. link. (23 February 2016 – PRNewswire.com, 10 September 2013)
50. [http://www.pica.army.mil/PicatinnyPublic/highlights/archive/2014/04-14-14.asp Picatinny completes Excalibur 1a-2 production, transitions to 1b] {{webarchive. link. (23 May 2014 – Pica.Army.mil, 14 April 2014)
51. [http://www.deagel.com/news/Excalibur-Ib-Completes-US-Armys-Initial-Operational-Test-and-Evaluation_n000012708.aspx Excalibur Ib Completes US Army's Initial Operational Test and Evaluation] {{Webarchive. link. (24 May 2014 – Deagel.com, 20 May 2014)
52. [http://www.deagel.com/news/Excalibur-Ib-Enters-Full-Rate-Production_n000013034.aspx Excalibur Ib Enters Full Rate Production] {{Webarchive. link. (23 September 2015 – Deagel.com, 31 July 2014)
53. link. (4 August 2014 – Raytheon news release, 15 June 2014)
54. [https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/02/05/raytheons-advanced-excalibur-hits-moving-targets-in-test/ Raytheon’s advanced Excalibur weapon hits moving targets in test]. ''Defense News''. 6 February 2020.
55. (2019-12-09). "Indian Army fires lethal Excalibur artillery ammunition in Pokhran".
56. (2024-08-10). "K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer Achieves Milestone with Raytheon M982A1 Excalibur Artillery Projectile".
57. (2024-08-07). "Hanwha: K9 howitzer successfully tested with Excalibur artillery projectile".
58. Samanta, Pranab Dhal. (2025-07-10). "India looks to US for urgent weapons after Operation Sindoor strikes". The Economic Times.
59. Sharma, Rohit. (2025-11-20). "US approves $93m deal for anti-tank missiles, precision artillery to India".
60. (21 March 2016). "Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) - Excalibur Precision 155mm Projectiles (Excalibur) As of FY 2017 President's Budget". US Department of Defense.
61. (9 September 2015). "Netherlands buys Raytheon Excalibur Ib projectiles".
62. (19 October 2018). "Netherlands qualifies Excalibur precision-guided round".
63. Brewster, Murray. (22 April 2022). "Canada sends four pieces of field artillery to Ukraine as country braces for renewed Russian attack".
64. Mizokami, Kyle. (6 May 2022). "Ukraine's New Heavy Artillery Will Cause Russia a World of Pain". Popular Mechanics.
65. McCardle, Guy. (24 April 2022). "Canada is Sending Ukraine Excalibur Precision-Guided, Extended-Range Artillery Shells". SOFREP.
66. "Denmark – Excalibur Projectiles".