GPS-Guided Artillery Rounds Will Arm Dutch Howitzers

The latest variant of the Excalibur precision-guided projectile will be used by armies and be available for naval ships.

The Netherlands Ministry of Defense is adding Raytheon Company’s Excalibur Ib artillery rounds to its arsenal under a previously announced foreign military sales agreement, underscoring growing international interest in the precision-guided projectile.

The Netherlands is the second Excalibur lb customer in Europe after Sweden, the U.S. government’s development partner for the 155-mm round. Deliveries are expected to begin later this year.

“The Netherlands joins a growing list of nations acquiring this highly sophisticated artillery munition, which uses GPS guidance to provide accurate, first-round effects capability at extended ranges,” said Mark Hokeness, Raytheon’s Excalibur program director. “When fired from the Dutch PzH 2000 artillery system, Excalibur can fly up to 50 kilometers, score a direct hit and deliver lethal effects in all types of weather and battlefield conditions.”

A Dutch Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) fires a round in Afghanistan. (Image courtesy Dutch Ministry of Defense)

The U.S. Army has determined Excalibur Ib is fully compatible with the PzH 2000, a self-propelled howitzer produced in Germany and fielded by several nations.

The 
Excalibur precision-guided, extended-range projectile uses GPS guidance to provide accurate, first-round-effects capability in any environment. Excalibur’s level of precision delivers a major reduction in the time, cost and logistical burden associated with using other artillery munitions. Excalibur has been fielded by the U.S. Army, Marines and several international military forces.

Excalibur Facts

• Combat-proven: Nearly 770 Excalibur rounds have been fired in combat with exceptional accuracy and lethality.
• Precise: Excalibur consistently strikes less than two meters from a precisely-located target, Raytheon said.
• Safe: Excalibur’s precision avoids collateral damage and has been employed within 75 meters of supported troops.
• Affordable: With its first round effects, Excalibur reduces total mission cost and time and the user’s logistics burden, according to Raytheon.
• Evolving: Raytheon has demonstrated a dual-mode GPS/semi-active laser seeker Excalibur variant to compensate for target location error, maintain precision in GPS denied or degraded environments, and enable engagement of relocated or moving targets.
• Navies: With Excalibur N5, navies will be able to deliver extended range, precision naval surface fires from existing 5-inch/127-mm guns.

Excalibur Video