American forces in Iraq will shortly start using new high accuracy artillery shells, incorporating explosives and other key parts from Swedish company, Bofors. The new shells are called Excalibur and have become operational three years ahead of schedule. They are the result of a collaboration between Bofors and American defence giant, Raytheon. American forces are keen to take delivery as soon as possible and they should be in Iraq in March.

According to Raytheon, Excalibur is the world's first GPS-guided shell. Later versions are expected to have a range of 60-70 kilometers, almost twice as far as conventional artillery shells. Bofors is owned by international concern BAE. The shells are assembled in the USA. Bofors has developed the technology which means that the shells remain intact on firing and which gives them their extreme range. The Americans have plenty of artillery in Iraq but are having difficulty using it. A conventional shell can land 200 metres from the target, which means their troops have to stay at a distance. An Excalibur is thought to land at most ten metres from the target, reducing the chances of unnecessary damage.

It's possible to guide the new shells when they're on their way to the target. This means they can be steered away if the nature of the target area changes. Bofors has the Swedish government's permission to participate in the project and sell Excalibur parts to the USA. When the Iraq war broke out Swedish weapons exports to the USA were questioned. American forces have previously procured Swedish weapons, such as the armour piercing ammunition, AT4. But Excalibur represents the development of an entirely new weapon. The government justifies the deal by saying it would damage Swedish defence and security policy if they were to discontinue working with the United States.

The cost of the shells is secret, but according to American press reports, they cost about 200 000 SKr each, compared to a cost of 7 500 SKr for a conventional shell. They have the same accuracy as a Tomahawk missile, which would cost a hundred times as much. Many people are very critical of Swedish arms being used by American forces in Iraq. There have been made previous protests about Swedish involvement in the American war effort it's concerned old contracts. This is a new weapon and a new contract. It's in breech of parliamentary decisions, which have already been twisted beyond recognition by all the exemptions.

The Left party is set to take up the issue with the Export Control Council, thus forcing the government to defend their decision in parliament and the party conceded that defence exports represented an area of difficulty in the Left party's alliance with the government. Having a policy on the one hand of contributing to the American war effort by providing weapons materials and on the other other of condemning American human rights violations is not such a credible position. The Greens are also critical of the arms exports and their spokeswoman said that this is the downside of the kind of arrangement they have with the government. The Greens have given them free rein. They are not comfortable with it and it's one of the reasons why the party don't want to continue working with them. She also said they can't do much whilst a majority is in favour of the exports. I and many others believes/thinks the exports are in breech of arms trade legislation and according to that Sweden shouldn't be exporting any weapons to the United States or any other countries whilst they are still at war.