Raytheon Company fired its 45th low-cost titanium base as part of design testing for the Excalibur 1b precision-guided artillery projectile.
The Excalibur 1b design is based on Raytheon’s combat-proven Excalibur 1a. It uses fewer parts and requires simpler manufacturing, resulting in lower costs and increased reliability. Excalibur’s proven six-meter (19.7 feet) accuracy reduces collateral damage, which saves lives and reduces the chance of civilian casualties.
“We started testing the new base in July 2008, and we have consistently met all our testing objectives” said Jim Riley, Raytheon Missile Systems’ vice president of Land Combat.
The projectiles were stable during flight, and the stowed fins deployed after clearing the gun. The tests also demonstrated the fins’ structural integrity and ability to synchronously deploy and lock. Component testing of the new base design will continue through May 2009.
“During these test flights, we’ve integrated base bleed into the fin extension. That’s an important step on the road to delivering Excalibur 1b to the U.S. Army,” said Steve Bennett, Raytheon Missile Systems’ Excalibur program director.
