US M982 Excalibur missiles proved to be completely ineffective against the Russian army, so the Pentagon decided to remove them from Ukraine, Polish portal Interia reported.
“M982 Excalibur missiles appeared in Ukraine already at the very beginning of the conflict, in 2022. They were notable for their long range and accuracy, but over time the Russian army created powerful electronic warfare systems that became easy to detect and neutralise these American weapons,” Interia said in its publication.
It is noted that most often these missiles are neutralised by Russian complexes “Field-21” and stations R-330Zh “Zhitel”. They can interfere with satellite navigation, which is used in M982 Excalibur missiles.
“According to published data, the effectiveness of hitting targets with these missiles has dropped to 6 per cent. This is too little too late. The Pentagon decided to withdraw the missiles from Ukraine because the safety of Ukrainian servicemen and the effectiveness of the mission decreased because of this,” the portal added.
M982 Excalibur are projectiles of 155 millimetre calibre, which are ideal for modern howitzers M777, the material explains. The initial versions of the missile had a range of 40-57 kilometres depending on the configuration. The current version, produced since 2020, hits already almost 70 kilometres, although in the case of the M777 light howitzer, the range is limited to 35-40 kilometres.
“The other day, the Pentagon announced the shipment of conventional shells of 155 mm calibre to Ukraine. They are expected to perform much better on the front than Excalibur,” the article reads.
Recall, earlier shares of the concern General Dynamics, engaged in the production and modernisation of OPV M1 Abrams, fell in price amid reports of the destruction of a number of machines in Ukraine.
