Ukraine to receive new precision-guided 155-mm artillery rounds from USA

The US will provide Ukraine with 1,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition as part of a new $400 million aid package.

The package was announced on July 8. It includes unnamed 155mm artillery ammunition. Previously, a senior defense official spoke to Politico about the ammunition on condition of anonymity. The source mentioned a new type of precision-guided artillery rounds that will give Ukraine a technological edge in its battle against Russia.

The official declined to name the type of ammunition and would not confirm that M982 Excalibur is part of the package. However, the person said that the new munitions offer a similar capability to the M982 Excalibur rounds, which provide GPS-guided precision targeting.

The new precision-guided shells will save ammunition, the official of the Biden administration said. Also, precision munitions are critical to avoiding the destruction of non-military objects and civilian casualties. By contrast, Russia has been bombing civilians indiscriminately.

Previously, Canadian media reported on the transfer of M982 Excalibur extended-range GPS-guided shells to Ukraine. However, the package was just a small amount of ammunition left over after the Afghanistan campaign.

In terms of GPS guidance, the M1156 PGK (Precision Guidance Kit) is analogous to the M982 Excalibur. It is a “smart” fuze that is installed on regular 155-mm ammunition turning them into high-precision ones. The PGK has a GPS receiver and rudders that adjust the trajectory of the ammunition.

The device provides a maximum circular deviation of up to 50 m at a distance of up to 30 km, which is worse than the M982 Excalibur (10 m), but much better than conventional ammunition (273 m). The advantage of PGK is its price – the cost of the kit is less than $20,000, while the Excalibur can cost more than $200,000 (depending on the batch and modification).

To be used with M777A2 howitzers both M982 Excalibur and M1156 PGK require installation of EPIAFS (Enhanced Portable Inductive Artillery Fuze Setter) modules. Initially, these blocks were not installed on howitzers supplied to Ukraine (according to photos and videos demonstrated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine).