New Guns for 1 RCHA...

[geo]

Actually you misread and miscalculated Geo.  They're getting 165 rounds for their 23,000,000. That results in the bargain price of US$139,393.94 per round. A considerably better price ;D.

WOW!!!! that makes all the difference. Silly me and my math

doubt any reservists and very few Regs will ever get to fire the darn things off.
Cheez!!!! and someone was saying the 155 round was "cheaper" than the 105 round (NOT!)

 

[KevinB]

HE 155 cheaper -- I dont think they have precision 105...

 

[Kirkhill]

Actually, thinking through this a bit more - at a guess I would suggest that there isn't much to choose between the cost of an Excalibur round, a Javelin, a JDAM, a Small Diameter Bomb or any of the Netfires/Hellfire/Brimstone/Longbow family of missiles.  Somewhere between $50,000 and $150,000 per round?

How much do their designed targets cost and how many do you have to fire to ensure target elimination as opposed to neutralization?

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

And another question relating to cost, is there any difference on the gunline[ ie, drills, etc] that differ with the "smart" ammo.?
If not then just using "normal" ammo would achieve the same training results at the "dull" end then, no?

 

[STA Gunner]

Actually, the training is considerably different for firing Excalibur.  Although it is mostly on the CP end, the gun end has some different drills too.  I suspect that our good brothers in Gunnery Training Battery will figure out how to train without using the real thing (aside from the three we will fire in training).

 

[scotty884]

Just as an Update the new guns arrive around the 26th of NOV  we are having a "dog and pony" show on Dec 2end. 

 

[Old Sweat]

Does this include mounting the RCR crest brass plaques from the Korean War? And how about engraving the Garter Crest on the tubes?

 

[Gunner]

Old Sweat, the ceremony on 2 Dec 05 will include the consecration of the colours and will involve the first fire mission using the new guns.  The gun position will be located north of the officer's mess.

Not sure if the guns have been allocated to any one battery.  If A Bty is so designated, it would indeed be appropriate for them to mount the plaques.

http://army.ca/forums/threads/17401.0.html

I will have to defer to someone else on the matter of engraving of the Garter Crest.  I guess it depends whether the guns are bought or loaned!

Ubique.

 

[McG]

Do we have the new ammo now too?

 

[Gunner]

I would have to assume that they will be firing conventional 155 rounds.   IIRC, they are only firing one or so rounds (excalibur) prior to deployment due to the cost of the round.   As STA Gunner noted above, the drills on the gun are basically the same and most of the difference is in the CP.  

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

I recall reading that Excalibur is under final acceptance testing in the US and will be accepted sometime around Feb...  Here's the Raytheon news release:

U.S. Army Awards Raytheon a $22 Million Contract for Excalibur Early Fielding
    TUCSON, Ariz., June 28, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army awarded
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a $22.1 million contract for initial production
and early fielding of Excalibur, a cooperative effort between Raytheon Missile
Systems and Bofors Defence of Sweden.
    Excalibur is an artillery projectile that uses satellite guidance to
provide precision accuracy at extended ranges for all current and future 155mm
howitzers.
    Raytheon will provide Excalibur projectiles, testing, manufacturing
tooling, test and inspection equipment, projectile shipping/storage
containers, and training support necessary to provide initial capability to
the Army in fiscal year 2006, more than 3 years ahead of when full operational
capability will be achieved.
    Excalibur will conclude developmental testing, and the first production
rounds will be delivered by the end of 2005. The Excalibur rounds will be
delivered as part of a system which includes an AFATDS (Advanced Field
Artillery Tactical Data System) update for Excalibur and approximately 14
stand-alone fuze setters to be fielded to Paladin units serving in Iraq.
Excalibur will also be compatible with the Army and Marine M777 light weight
howitzer. The Marines have recently begun M777 fielding, and the U.S. Army
will field M777 next year in conjunction with forming the Stryker Brigade of
the 25th Infantry Division.
    "The decision to pursue this early fielding reflects the Army's urgent
need for organic precision-guided artillery munitions and is a sign that
Raytheon Missile Systems and Bofors Defence have reached technical maturity in
their design," said Lt. Col. William Cole, the Army's Excalibur product
manager at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.
    This contract follows on the heels of months of successful testing.  In
November 2004, the contractor and Army Excalibur team successfully fired the
world's first global positioning satellite-guided 155mm artillery projectile,
which navigated to a target 20 kilometers down range, impacting 3.4 meters
from the aim point.
    In December 2004, the program proved reliability by repeating the test and
impacting within 6.9 meters.  Both were well within the Excalibur performance
specification.  The program is a key element of the transformation of cannon
artillery to provide responsive precision strike capability for the U.S.
Army's modular force.

 

[McG]

Is that difference in the CP something they will get to exercise in the BG CAX?

 

[Gunner]

Is that difference in the CP something they will get to exercise in the BG CAX?

I would guess that the drills would be practiced at Ex ENDURING RAM and/or the BG SAX as well as the targeting procedures.  I'll be at the LTF tomorrow so I guess I'll find out then.

 

[ghazise]

Check it out,


http://sill-www.army.mil/USMC/LW155/

 

[scotty884]

New fire power arrives Saturday....Yes this Saturday first shots to be fired on Dec 2.  Cant wait for this

 

[Peter @ LSEC]

and the new fire control is in Gagetown for user trial this week.

 

[Goober]

The M777 is a very nice gun. My only concern is its durability in our winters. There are alot of things that could break down, and then you're running degraded ops. Its 10,000 lbs but its easy to move around, from its fully deployed position, you can turn the gun around 180 degrees in less than a minute. Come into action in about 1 and 1/2 mins. I like it.

 

[geo]

The M777 is a very nice gun. My only concern is its durability in our winters. There are alot of things that could break down, and then you're running degraded ops.

what do you mean about durability in winters?
I would gather that our US friends did design it for use in theatres where they operate.... and that would include such places as Alaska... pretty near home if you ask me.
Is there anything on the gun that appears flimsy?

 

[Goober]

what do you mean about durability in winters?
I would gather that our US friends did design it for use in theatres where they operate.... and that would include such places as Alaska... pretty near home if you ask me.
Is there anything on the gun that appears flimsy?

The main problem the marines found with the 777 is the trunnion pump. This is used to pressurize the scavenge system, which runs the hydraulics to open and close the breech, raise/lower the loading tray etc...  Simply because its used alot, it has a higher chance of breaking, then you are out of action until its fixed. [edit] I'd like to correct myself, you can stay in action, but your rate of fire is reduced to about 1 round every 5 mins, because you have to use a wrench and some muscle to open the breech.

What if the Thermal Warning Device gets condensation in the glass, or it cracks. Then you can't fire, because you don't know the temp of your tube.

I'd like to see how the power break system and the suspension system hold up at -40.

The biggest concern I have is with the pneumatic equilibrators, they are filled with nitrogen, which helps elevate the tube. Nitrogen compresses when the temperature drops, and you have some screws you can adjust to make it easier or harder to raise/lower, but the colder it gets the harder it is to raise the barrel.

There are alot of hoses and nobs that can leak, especially with the expansion and compression of water and ice.

The marines only had this gun for a year, and while they did have it in Alaska, it is still not proven in Manitoba winters yet.

Thats what I mean about durability in our winters, I'd like to see how the gun holds up for myself.

 

[geo]

well.... guess you guys will "live in interesting times"

enjoy your new toy and order a bottle of Tylenol Xtra strength z