FIRING LINE: U.S. Soldiers assigned to 2nd Cavalry Regiment fire an M777 howitzer during a platoon live-fire exercise in October 2022 at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. (Photo by Spc. Ryan Parr, Training Support Activity Europe)
The Project Manager for Combat Ammunition Systems leads the charge to get precision projectiles to Ukraine.
by Maj. Christopher J. Noll and Maj. Porter W. Riley
Like the mythical Arthurian sword of the same name, the 155 mm M982 Excalibur projectile is a crucial weapon. The projectile allows commanders at all levels to strike high-value enemy targets far behind the front lines with precision, while adding little to no burden to the actual cannoneers. This advanced capability allows the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) to increase the risk they pose to their enemies while simultaneously decreasing the risk to their troops. But, as with any leap forward in combat technology, there is a lot of collaboration, forethought and work behind the scenes to ensure that battlefield execution can occur seamlessly.
To enable the successful use of the M982 in the Ukrainian theater of operations, the Project Manager for Combat Ammunition Systems (PM CAS), part of the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, first coordinated with the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) to assess the feasibility of using M982s in Ukraine and gain approval to provide the Portable Electronic Fire Control System (PEFCS) to serve as the M982 fire control solution. Second, PM CAS coordinated with Joint Multinational Training Group ‒ Ukraine (JMTG-U) and the deployed M777 howitzer battery from the 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada, Royal Canadian Artillery, to provide precision guided munitions training to the Ukrainian artillery before M982s arrived in theater.
Third, PM CAS worked with Joint Munitions Command (JMC) and the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to ship Excalibur projectiles and PEFCS to the staging area before being moved into theater by the Ukrainian army. Finally, PM CAS, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (DEVCOM-AC), has developed a trusted relationship with the Security Assistance Group – Ukraine (SAG-U) to ensure updated best practices are shared and vital battlefield feedback is received to further refine the Excalibur projectile. The relationship with SAG-U has spawned a knowledge hub for Excalibur employment and a responsive logistical train for PEFCS repair.
ARTHURIAN LEGEND: The mythical Excalibur was the sword of King Arthur. (Photo by Getty Images)
FEASIBILITY AND FIRE CONTROL
In the initial stages of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, it was apparent to PM CAS leadership that the U.S. would supply the preponderance of artillery support to Ukraine. In support of that outcome, PM CAS tasked the Product Manager for Precision Attack Cannon Munitions (PdM PACM) to conduct a feasibility analysis for provisioning Excalibur projectiles months before the projectile appeared on an official presidential drawdown. PdM PACM immediately assembled a team in conjunction with DEVCOM-AC service members, acquisition professionals and technical experts to execute the task. Because of the robustness of the Excalibur projectile, the team concluded that if necessary conditions were met, then Excalibur would work in Ukraine and provide a force multiplying capability for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Initially, the PACM team worked with Program Manager Towed Artillery Systems, which previously donated M777 howitzers. Simultaneously, the team used DEVCOM-AC’s close working relationship with U.S. Space Command to derive a process that allowed the donation of Excalibur projectiles and addressed all national security concerns.
Lastly, the team worked with HQDA G-3/5/7 and G-8 to gain an understanding at the senior leadership levels that PEFCS was a crucial enabler for any precision-guided munition donation. PEFCS presented the optimal solution to enable the Ukrainian artillery to employ precision artillery fires since it is a standalone, portable precision artillery fire-enabling fire control system.
MIGHTY MYTH: The Excalibur round, named after a mythical sword, helps mitigate risk to friendly forces and citizens. (Photo by Jay Johnson, Pexels)
PRECISION FIRES TRAINING
As the conflict in Ukraine continued and it became clear that Excalibur projectiles would be donated, the PdM PACM team began working with the Joint Multinational Group Ukraine before the official donation to get precision fires training added to the existing Ukrainian Armed Forces artillery training classes. Training the UAF presented unique challenges but was a crucial step to ensure that the projectiles could be employed immediately upon arrival in theater. Once the team secured space on the UAF training calendar, it was incumbent that the PM CAS New Equipment Training Team work closely with DEVCOM-AC to streamline the Excalibur and PEFCS training package to comply with JMTG-U and UAF operational constraints.
Once the team successfully crafted the training package, we faced our next obstacle: Because Excalibur had yet to be officially named on a presidential drawdown, the team lacked a mechanism to satisfy foreign disclosure requirements and to provide training materials to the UAF. To clear this hurdle, PdM PACM worked with Joint Multinational Group Ukraine and the Royal Canadian Artillery to ensure that the training was delivered in a timely manner.
LOGISTICS AND ONGOING SUPPORT
Once the Excalibur projectile was officially named on a presidential drawdown, moving the munitions from U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps stocks to theater was straightforward, with the assistance of JMC. Once PM CAS, in conjunction with PM Ammunition (U.S. Marine Corps), identified the lots of Excalibur that would be used to source the presidential drawdown requirements, Joint Munitions Command executed its mission of moving the munitions seamlessly. Unfortunately, because PEFCS is not a U.S. Army end item, there was no simple mechanism for moving them into theater.
In response to this challenge, PdM PACM worked with TACOM, and before the execution date established by the presidential drawdown, developed an executable process for moving PEFCS from Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, to the shipping facility and getting them on military transport flights to Poland, where they were received and staged by the Rapid Deployment Capability Ukraine (RDC-U) for final movement into theater. The RDC-U was not only crucial for the initial push of PEFCS into Ukraine, but it also served along with the Security Assistance Group – Ukraine as critical enablers connecting technical experts at Picatinny Arsenal to the front lines and allowing near-real-time troubleshooting for both the Excalibur and PEFCS. The PM CAS team also relies on the RDC-U to alert them if repair parts are needed for the PEFCS, which enables the Ukrainian Armed Forces to maintain full mission capability regarding precision artillery.
CLOSE INSPECTION: A U.S. Army Soldier inspects an M982A1 Excalibur round prior to it being loaded into an M777 howitzer for a live-fire training event in June 2020 on Fort Polk, Louisiana. The Excalibur projectile allows Ukrainian forces increased firepower while decreasing the risk to their own troops. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Ashley Morris, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division)
CONCLUSION
The M982 Excalibur projectile has equipped the UAF with sophisticated and lethal artillery capability. Excalibur’s demonstrated precision reduces the need for massing fires. It enhances the safety of Ukrainian forces and civilians in the area of operations while still offering a reliable and highly effective solution to engage intended targets. The successful integration of this technology into the Ukrainian theater of operations required forethought, collaboration and significant work behind the scenes to ensure seamless battlefield execution. PM CAS was pivotal in coordinating with various departments and agencies, including HQDA, JMC, JMTG-U and the Royal Canadian Artillery, to assess the feasibility of utilizing the M982s, provide precision guided munitions training to the Ukrainian artillery, and ship projectiles and fire control systems to theater.
The continuing support provided by PM CAS and DEVCOM-AC ensures that troops on the front lines are kept informed of best practices and have access to a world class logistical train. Overall, the successful integration of the M982 Excalibur projectile into the Ukrainian Armed Forces has posed a higher risk to the adversary while simultaneously mitigating risk to their citizens and forces.
For more information, go to the Product Manager Precision Attack Cannon Munition webpage: https://jpeoaa.army.mil/Project-Offices/PM-CAS/Organizations/Precision-Attack-Cannon-Munitions.
MAJ. CHRISTOPHER J. NOLL is the project officer for the 155 mm Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition Armor projectile and an assistant program manager for Product Manager Precision Attack Cannon Munitions with Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems, assigned to JPEO A&A at Picatinny Arsenal. He earned his MBA in systems acquisition management from the Naval Postgraduate School and holds the DAWIA Professional certification in contracting and the Practitioner certification in program management.
MAJ. PORTER W. RILEY is the project officer for the 155 mm Cannon-Delivered Area Effects Munition Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition Replacement projectile and an assistant program manager for PdM PACM at Picatinny Arsenal. He earned his M.S. in systems engineering management from the Naval Postgraduate School and served as an artillery officer for nine years before joining the Army Acquisition Workforce in 2020.
