Denmark Receives U.S. Clearance to Buy Excalibur Projectiles

The U.S. State Department has approved the potential Foreign Military Sale to Denmark of Excalibur projectiles and related logistics and program support elements, with an estimated cost of $121 million.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification, notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Denmark has requested to purchase 339 M982A1 Excalibur tactical projectiles. The sale also includes Portable Electronic Fire Control Systems (PEFCS), Improved Platform Integration Kits (iPIK), Simple Key Loaders (SKLs), extractors, Surface Danger Zones (SDZs), training for new equipment, spare parts, U.S. Government technical assistance, technical data, repair and return services, and other related logistics and program support elements. The estimated cost is $121 million.

The principal contractor for this sale will be RTX Corporation, based in Tucson, Arizona.

The Excalibur projectile, developed by Raytheon and BAE Systems Bofors, has a radial miss distance of less than two meters from the target. It delivers first-round effects at all ranges and in all weather conditions. The Excalibur extends the reach of various caliber artillery to 40-70 kilometers.

The Excalibur munition is compatible with multiple howitzer systems, including the M777, M109 series, M198, Archer, PzH2000, AS90, K9, DENEL G6, and CAESAR 6x6. It has been fired from the U.S. Army's Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) and is planned for integration with other mobile artillery systems.

The Excalibur comes in multiple variants, each designed for specific battlefield requirements. These variants include the Excalibur 1B with Enhanced Shaped Trajectory software, the Excalibur HTK with an armor-penetrating warhead and all-weather seeker, the Excalibur S with a laser-guided digital semi-active laser seeker, and the Excalibur N5, a 5-inch naval variant with increased range and accuracy.