Ukraine: Budget records confirm a previously unknown addition to the arsenal it gathered to deter Russian aggression: The Pentagon has sent its most accurate artillery shell, the GPS-guided Excalibur, to Ukraine.
The Pentagon's provision of shells to the Ukrainian military is acknowledged for the first time in a plan to replenish US stocks of Excalibur.
Despite information that plans to provide Excalibur were underway and that it would later be used in Ukraine, officials avoided questions about it.
The Excalibur, a satellite-guided weapon that can hit a target within two meters, was first used in Iraq in 2007 when al-Qaeda leader Abu Jurah and associates were prominently assassinated.
According to a budget document released last month that was not previously made public, the Defense Department will use US$92 million in supplemental funds to be used "to replace the M982 Excalibur warships transferred to Ukraine in support of the international effort." " Will be done. for" has been approved by Congress. To counter the Russian invasion."
Raytheon Missiles and Defense and BAE Systems Bofors jointly developed the projectile, which is used in the US Army's main field artillery 155 mm howitzers.
Commanders on the battlefield can focus more precisely on targets thanks to the precision-guided Excalibur. According to the documents, it has a range of 40 km (25 mi).
Excalibur noted that in documents detailing how the Pentagon is using some of the $20.1 billion in an "additional Ukraine supplement" signed by President Joe Biden in May.
19 Excalibur rounds were produced from US Army stockpiles, as part of the "Presidential Drawdown Authority" actions totaling $8 billion. The Pentagon has so far provided information on purchases of about US$7 billion in seven installments over the past month.
In contrast to the US$56.7 million that Congress approved this fiscal year, the US$92 million additional program budget for Excalibur more than doubled, according to Mark Cancian, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and Defense Services. About 900 projectiles are involved in the fiscal year 2022. International study tracking expenses related to Ukraine.
According to US military budget documents, $56.7 million will be used to purchase 374 sophisticated, GPS-jam-resistant rounds. "It also confirms what has long been suspected - that the United States is giving Ukraine this state-of-the-art weapon," Cansian said.
According to US military budget documents, each round currently costs between US$98,700 and US$106,400 in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, depending on the quantity purchased.
According to US Army budget documents, Excalibur's proven accuracy "enables the impact of the first round on the target, reducing the number of rounds required while minimizing collateral damage."
Considering its capabilities, it is likely that the weapon has been used to surgically destroy Russian command and control centers as Ukrainian forces engage in artillery combat with invaders in the eastern regions.
Additionally, the US has been supplying sniper rifles to Ukraine. To replace the sharpshooting stock and purchase long-range spotting scopes for the rifles, the US is seeking US$265,000 and US$80,000, respectively.
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