India To Buy Satellite-Guided ‘M982 Excalibur' Shells

At A Time When The Indian Army Is Struggling To Replace Its Soviet-era Vintage Inventory With New Age Weapons, The Induction Of Ground-launched Precision-guided Artillery Bombs Will Be A Huge Force-multiplier In The Tactical Level Battlefield, Reports Amartya Sinha

- Amartya Sinha

The Indian Army has reportedly taken a decision to acquire 155mm satellite-guided M982 Excalibur artillery rounds for long-range strikes. As per reliable sources in the Ministry of Defence, a decision has been made to purchase the cutting-edge ammunition under the emergency procurement procedures from the United States. The acquisition case is being processed under the emergency powers for procurement of weapon systems and ammunition to be battle-ready during post-Pulwama and post-Uri like situations.

As per plans, the forward units of Indian Army deployed along the Line of Control in Kashmir will be armed with the guided artillery shells initially. The 155mm M982 Excalibur can be configured in airburst and ground-burst configurations for obliterating heavily fortified enemy bunkers located in difficult terrain. The shell is capable of reaching targets located up to 57 km from the launch site and is guided by Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS). The new generation rounds can be used from M777 ultra-light towed artillery howitzers recently purchased from the United States.

Deadly capability for tactical level battlefield