Army chooses rugged accelerometers from Meggitt for testing artillery shell

U.S. Army munitions researchers needed high-G rugged accelerometers to support test and measurement testing of the Raytheon M982 Excalibur satellite-gilded smart artillery shell. They found their solution from Meggitt Inc. in Irvine, Calif. Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., have announced a $7.1 million contract for high-gravity accelerometers for Excalibur and other telemetry programs. The Excalibur smart artillery shell has a ruggedized global positioning system (GPS) satellite navigation receiver and uses satellite signals to help guide itself to its intended targets. It first was fielded in Iraq in 2007 for urban or complex-terrain engagements in which collateral damage must be kept to a minimum. Meggitt designs and builds sensors that measure acceleration, speed, pressure, force, temperature, distance, position, vibration, and level in extreme environments like military weapons and civil power plants.