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Home Front: Tech
Smart 155mm Shells Coming Straight Down
2004-12-02
December 2, 2004: The U.S. Army has successfully tested its new 155mm Excalibur guided artillery shell providing "plunging fire" against Fallujah urban targets. Using GPS guidance, Excalibur can be fired at a high angle, and then come down on the target at a 90 degree angle, and land within ten meters of the aiming point. Fighting inside a city, this is a very valuable capability. The 106 pound Excalibur shells carries less than twenty pounds of explosives, compared to about 400 pounds in a 500 pound bomb.
But when you can drop one in somebody's hip pocket, twenty pounds is more than enough
The only downside of the Excalibur is the cost, which will be about $20,000 per shell once it enters mass production in 2006. The army bought 183 Excalibur shells this year, for some $90,000 each, to continue testing.
Posted by:Steve

#10  Say uhh, have you had a CAT scan lately?
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-12-02 11:11:04 PM  

#9  If citizen complaints about seeing triangular-shaped UFO's > USDOD experimental aircraft, then the Army may yet deploy low-atmosphere, floating armed tactical battle stations, air-based mines, etc. I'm not convinced CRUSADER project is over.
Where RUSSIA and Putin's allegations of dev never before seen missle/weapons systems, I sincerely believe Putin is covertly referring to UNDERWATER WARFARE, spec UW Submarine Fleet Battles includ use of armed unmanned attack mini-vehicles/drones. Russia knows the USDOD will be ready for missle launches [includ MRV's and CM's] from fixed silos to surface ships to heavy bombers and FBM Subs - only one dimension as per GMD/TWD is left, i.e. UNDER THE SEA, whereas CHINA has gotta be upset as both SK and Taiwan have indic interest in being part of USGMD, ditto for Poalnd where RUSSIA is concerned - there goes the Commie Nuclear Bully Stick into de facto oblivion and irrelevancy,, with Russia/China-centric hegemony following right after it.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2004-12-02 10:16:39 PM  

#8  B.S. The Mk 82 500-lb bomb contains 192 lbs of high explosive. Journalistic excellence and fact-checking wins again!
Posted by: gromky   2004-12-02 10:13:57 PM  

#7  But when you can drop one in somebody's hip pocket, twenty pounds is more than enough

Smelly red mist tells you that a bullseye was achieved, and 72 virgins have a new job.
Posted by: BigEd   2004-12-02 1:25:07 PM  

#6  For some reason, I'm hearing Bob Dylan in my head:

". . . hard rain comin' down . . ."
Posted by: Mike   2004-12-02 12:25:41 PM  

#5  A 106 pound bag of malted-milk balls coming straight down from 10,000 feet is enough to kill ya!
BrusselShot.
Posted by: Shipman   2004-12-02 11:54:28 AM  

#4  Article: The only downside of the Excalibur is the cost, which will be about $20,000 per shell once it enters mass production in 2006.

This is about the cost of a 500 pound JDAM, which carries 25 times as much explosive charge. Of course, this doesn't include the cost of operating the aircraft dropping the JDAM, which is considerable (delivery cost alone is $50 per pound for a target located 6 miles away) - coming to $50 *500 = $25,000 per 500 pound JDAM, which brings the cost of dropping the JDAM to $45,000.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2004-12-02 10:58:34 AM  

#3  The only downside of the Excalibur is the cost, which will be about $20,000 per shell once it enters mass production in 2006.

The solution to this is to hold an open competition between potential suppliers. Whoever can mass produce units that meet specs at the best price gets a contract. I seem to remember something similar happening with the original ammunition competition for the GAU-8, and the bullets ended up being pretty inexpensive.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-12-02 10:46:25 AM  

#2  $20,000 per shell
vs. what for the Small Dia. Bomb?
IIRC, the Jdam kit is $38K less the bomb.

Watching a LLL choke on the lack of collateral civilian casualties, Priceless.

BTW, IIRC the Copperhead was about $40K a shot too.


Comments, anyone?
Posted by: N Guard   2004-12-02 10:40:53 AM  

#1  A 106 pound bag of malted-milk balls coming straight down from 10,000 feet is enough to kill ya! The twenty pounds of explosive just ensures you don't "linger"!
Posted by: Justrand   2004-12-02 10:36:31 AM  

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