Long shot: Artillery battery sets lethal record

[KB]

Marine unit that recently returned from Afghanistan killed a team of Taliban insurgents with a record-setting artillery strike.

Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., dropped the 155mm M982 Excalibur round on insurgents 36 kilometers away — more than 22 miles — in Helmand province. The strike was launched Feb. 12 from an M777 howitzer on a mountainside at Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge, in Kajaki, to neighboring Musa Qala district, Marines said.


It marks the longest operational artillery shot in history for the Marine Corps, said Capt. Joshua Kling, the battery commander.


It also was the longest operational shot using the Excalibur round, said David Brockway, an official with Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz., one of the companies involved in its development.


The round is fielded by both the Corps and the U.S. Army, and could be used at even greater distances in the future, Brockway said. In testing, it has hit targets 37.5 kilometers away with accuracy, and can be launched over 41 kilometers with the 39-caliber M777 howitzers that are commonly used in the U.S. military, he said.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news...-m777-063012w/

[Hisroyalhighness]

Nice Shot Gentlemen!

[Arbody]

There was an artillery commander during Second Chechcen War , he was able to hit a barn from the distance of 25+km in a high mountain terrain , forgot his name .Congratz to the battalion!

[Hollis]

Yes, Nice shoot.

[timetraveller]

pics of the target and aftermath would be nice ...

[kool_kruiser]

nice shooting gentlemen.

[delta37]

gotta give credit to whoever was directing the shot! he must have used higgs boson theory lol...

[JRT]

Isn't this a repost?

[grabie_bis]

Good news are never reposted eonugh.

[nighthawk006]

Jolly good shot Sar!

[BMF]

not too shabby. I really love the excal round, the thing is spectacular when it works properly. Even with GPS and INU, 36K is a VERY long way, everyone must have done their jobs right. King of Battle! For comparison, normal HE rounds fired by that same cannon generally have a max range of 22K, unless you start adding in rocket assistance. My longest combat shot with the M198 (the M777's older brother) was just shy of 20K back in 2005 in mosul, and that hit was a damned miracle.

[The Dane]

I believe that the Dutch PZH 2000's have successfully delivered fire support at +30km on some occasions in Afghanistan.. with unguided rounds.

[RSone]

I believe that the Dutch PZH 2000's have successfully delivered fire support at +30km on some occasions in Afghanistan.. with unguided rounds.

Inb4 Tercio IIRC 30Km is about the max range of unassisted rounds with maximum charge out of the PzH2000.

[Eric79]

Gentleman, do I need to remind that in far far away South Africa there is a canon called the G5 and it's wheeled brother called the G6-52[both 155mm] who have done 60km - accurately!

" G6-52L Extended Range, fitted with 25 liter chamber. The G6-52 Extended Range has a maximum range of 67 km with a V-LAP projectile. This artillery system can launch a maximum of 6 rounds in MRSI mode."

Note:-

1. No Excalibur round but V-LAP, a South Africa designed round.
2. 6 rounds mean it can hit the target simultaneously, as the arch
3. In 1988-89 during the Battle of Cuito Canevale in Southern Angola, the Russians and their Cuban brothers found[experience] that on the hard way.

[RSone]

Gentleman, do I need to remind that in far far away South Africa there is a canon called the G5 and it's wheeled brother called the G6-52[both 155mm] who have done 60km - accurately!

" G6-52L Extended Range, fitted with 25 liter chamber. The G6-52 Extended Range has a maximum range of 67 km with a V-LAP projectile. This artillery system can launch a maximum of 6 rounds in MRSI mode."

Note:-

1. No Excalibur round but V-LAP, a South Africa designed round.
2. 6 rounds mean it can hit the target simultaneously, as the arch
3. In 1988-89 during the Battle of Cuito Canevale in Southern Angola, the Russians and their Cuban brothers found[experience] that on the hard way.

V-Lap is a rocket-assisted round, Excalibur is not, using fins to achieve a glide of sorts. Excalibur is GPS guided, V-LAP rounds aren't. Comparing apples to oranges really.