Summary
Technology
See the full content of this document
Extract
Summoning the fire.
In the early 1980s movie "Conan the Barbarian", the hero learns that the sharpest sword "is only as strong as the hand which wields it". It's a sentiment with which today's artillery commanders would agree--the best gun or howitzer is only as effective as the fire-control system that directs its fire.
In today's highly mobile warfare, operational tempos are becoming ever faster, and with this trend comes a need to control the firepower of artillery with ever-greater accuracy and speed. Since the 1960s, computerised fire-control systems have largely replaced the traditional methods of gun aiming. A successful indirect-fire engagement requires that target intelligence is available to allow aim points to be identified, and that the resulting target data is quickly passed to whatever guns or rocket launchers are available within range. After firing has begun, forward observers must watch the fall of shot, note any targeting errors and report the required corrections. Once the rounds are falling on the target, the rate of fire must be maintained to ensure the necessary level of target destruction. There are two aspects to the problem of controlling artillery fire. The first is that of delivering t...See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
