Improved Excalibur Round

Well this is new, an improved weapons system whose primary improvement is a reduction in cost.

Specifically, the precision guided Excalibur round:

The 1A1 version cost between $130,000 and $150,000 per round. The 1A2 is down to less than $85,000. Of course, one limiting factor to lowering price on the 1A models was LRIP, which provides no economy of scale. The hope for 1B is to reach a number somewhere in the mid-$30,000 range.

When all is said and done. most of the technology here is old hat. The precision guided M712 Copperhead 155mm round has entered service before Desert Storm.

The flight profile is actually simpler than that of the Copperhead, actually, since it is GPS guided, and so does not have to deal with the visibility issues and two flight modes of the copperhead.