VIDEO: Russian Howitzers Destroyed By Excalibur Strikes – Video footage shared by the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook this week appears to show Excalibur artillery strikes taking out two Russian howitzers.
The video, recorded from the air, shows the two howitzers stationary or moving very slowly on a dirt road.
Moments later, one howitzer is destroyed by an artillery strike and erupts into flames.
Then, the second howitzer experiences the same, with a huge explosion creating plumes of smoke that rise hundreds of feet into the air.
It is a scene witnessed many times before, though the scale of the explosions demonstrated just how powerful the Excalibur artillery shell could be on the battlefield.
The video is accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” as a backing track – a tactic frequently used by both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries to taunt the enemy.
“The work of artillerymen against enemy self-propelled guns and D-20s from the 45th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the original Facebook post reads.
The M982 Excalibur is an extended-range guided artillery shell that was developed jointly by the United States and Sweden.
The rocket uses GPS to find its targets and is capable of reaching targets from as far away as 70km when used in conjunction with the AHS Krab self-propelled tracked gun-howitzer.
The missile frequently reaches targets from distances of between 23km and 50km when fired from other missile systems and howitzers.
You can watch the video here.
Russia Fears Excalibur Strikes
Even as the United States and Europe send more advanced weaponry to Ukraine, Russian and pro-Russian soldiers believe that the Excalibur artillery shell is one of the most dangerous weapons available to the Ukrainians – and it has been in use since the early days of the war.
Speaking to the Russian TASS news agency, a spokesman for the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic said that Excalibur is “probably the most dangerous part” of the United States’ aid to Ukraine.
“These munitions are equipped with a seeker and can adjust their flight path upon approaching the target,” the spokesman said. “They are GPS and inertial-guided.”
The spokesman said that the only way to stop the shells from causing damage is to use counter-battery activities, including strikes on warehouses where the ammunition is stored.
It means that the Russians’ only effective way of preventing Excalibur strikes is not to intercept them in the air, but to ensure that the Ukrainians are never in a position to use them.
“They must be prevented from ever being delivered to firing positions,” the DPR spokesman added.
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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
