M982 Excalibur is a 155 mm extended-range guided artillery shell developed in a collaborative effort between the U S Army Research Laboratory and the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center .
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M982 Excalibur was developed as a longer-range alternative to conventional artillery shells, with GPS guidance for improved accuracy.
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M982 Excalibur has a range of approximately 40 to 57 kilometers depending on configuration, with a circular error probable of 4 m, while unguided Western artillery shells can land up to 500 feet from the target at a range of 15 miles.
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M982 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 towards the target.
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M982 Excalibur is used to minimize collateral damage, for targets beyond the range of standard munitions, for precise firing within 150 meters of friendly troops, or when terrain prevents direct fire.
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In 2012, M982 Excalibur rounds reached new record ranges in combat of 36 kilometres .
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Self-propelled guns compatible with the M982 Excalibur projectile are the American M109A6 Paladin and M109A7, British AS-90, German PzH 2000, South African G6, and Swedish Archer.
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Towed guns compatible with the M982 Excalibur projectile are the American M198 and M777 howitzers.
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The M982 Excalibur Ib has improved reliability and lower unit cost than the previous M982 Excalibur Ia-1 and Ia-2.
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In February 2020, Raytheon announced the M982 Excalibur S had been successfully tested against a moving target using its laser seeker.
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