The US Pentagon has sent the most accurate guided artillery missile in the US arsenal, the GPS-guided Excalibur, to Ukraine in order to strengthen the effort of forces in Kiev to counter the Russian invasion, Bloomberg reports.
The US continues to support Ukraine and today announced a mammoth $675 million in new military aid, but the shipment of the missile to Ukraine was not previously announced, documents cited by the agency revealed.
The Excalibur satellite-guided missile can hit targets with an accuracy of two meters and was first used in Iraq in 2007, killing al-Qaida leader Abu Jura and his associates.
According to a document published last month, the US Department of Defense will spend $92 million in additional funds authorized by Congress to procure missiles to replace the M982 Excalibur, which were transferred to Ukraine.
The 48kg projectile is fired from 155mm howitzers, developed by Raytheon Missiles and Defense and BAE Systems Bofor, and can hit targets at a distance of around 40.5km with such accuracy that it reduces the number of rounds required and collateral losses.
Based on its capabilities, this missile was likely used to destroy command and control centers of Russian forces with surgical precision as Ukrainian soldiers engage in close combat with the invaders in the eastern regions of the country.
