Trajectory Correctable Munition (TCM)

The Trajectory Correctable Munition (TCM) was a cooperative program with the Kingdom of Sweden to develop an extended range, precision-guided, howitzer-launched 155mm artillery projectile. The prime contractor was Bofors of Karlskoga, Sweden, which was acquired by United Defense Limited Partnership (UDLP). TCM used GPS/IMU technology to guide the projectile's flight path, providing significant improvements in accuracy and first round hit probabilities. TCM's modular design was be capable of incorporating three payload variants.

By 1999 the TCM 155 millimeter artillery system was under development by the government of Sweden. The program had significant potential for unprecedented accuracy through the ability to correct the course of the projectile in flight. By 1999 senior officials from the government of the United States and Sweden had met and were initiating actions to determine common requirements to achieve interoperability standards through sharing mature technologies. The Senate Armed Service Committee saw TCM as a potential candidate for inclusion in the foreign comparative testing program or as an advanced concept technology demonstration. The committee urged the Department of Defense to consider TCM for evaluation and accelerated deployment should the technology be demonstrated to have sufficient promise.

In 2003 XM982 Excalibur merged with the the Swedish TCM program. Bofors Defence became be part of the Excalibur Team. The Product Management Office (PMO) completed a merger with the TCM program to reduce program risk. The XM982 Excalibur was a joint cooperative development program between the US and the Kingdom of Sweden. The two countries jointly funded the development of Excalibur, a 155mm precision-guided, extended-range artillery projectile.

TCM was a 155mm projectile program sponsored jointly by the United States and the Kingdom of Sweden. TCM would be designed to carry multiple payloads of either Anti-armor submunitions (SADARM/BONUS), Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICMs) or a unitary charge to provide 155mm howitzers an extended range, fratricide reducing, accuracy - enhancing capability to support future operations of both countries.

• Length: 1 meter
• Weight: 106 pounds
• Fin Stabilized Glide Air Frame
• Modular Projectile Configuration
• Compatible with existing and future platforms

  Fielding:

• DPICM IOC - 1QFY08
• SADARM / BONUS IOC - 1QFY08
• Unitary IOC - 1QFY09

  Payloads:

• Warhead: 2 SADARM submunitions or 2 BONUS submunitions
• Other Complimentary
• - DPICM
• - Unitary

  Pre-planned Product Improvements

• - Counter Rader
• - UAV Directed
• - Terminal Homing (Swedish Only)

  Projectile Guidance Technologies

• - Inertial Measurement Unit
• - Global Positioning System
• - Projectile Tracking System

  Key Performance Parameters (KPP)

• - Effectiveness Against ARTY Battery
• - Maximum Range of 37Km, 47Km

  Crew Handling and Logistics

• - Complete Projectile w/ Integral Fuze
• - Wooden Round - No User Maintenance
• - Compatible with Current and Future System
• - Nuclear, NBC DECON, and E3 Survivable
• - Storage Life of 20 Years

  Additional Performance Parameters

• - Deliver DPICM, SADARM, Unitary
• - GPS/INS Guidance
• - Submunition Self-Destruct Feature
• - 95% Carrier, 97% S/M, 99.8% Dud