On 27 June 2005, Jane’s Defense Weekly reported
The US Army is accelerating the fielding of the GPS-guided XM982 Excalibur 155 mm artillery projectile and is expecting to introduce the weapon into service two years earlier than originally planned…
In response to an Urgent Need Statement from US Army elements within US Central Command, Raytheon received a 21 June contract award for testing, safety certification and initial fielding of the satellite-guided projectiles by March 2006. Initial fielding had been planned for the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2008 (FY08). (more)
Source: Scott Gourley, "U.S. Army accelerates guided artillery fielding," Jane’s Defense Weekly (27 June 2005).