Army speeds up development of mortar fire control system.

• Author: Colucci, Frank
• Position: Program update

The U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, began fielding a new digital fire control system that promises, to improve the speed, accuracy and survivability of mechanized mortar platoons. The technology also introduces common fire control elements for dismounted mortars and Stryker brigade combat teams.

The program is called mortar fire control system (heavy), managed by the Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal.

Tom Bradley, Army assistant product manager for fire control, said that Honeywell Defense & Space Electronic Systems will produce MFCS under a five-year contract.

Picatinny MFCS development project officer Vince Matrisciano explained that the system "seamlessly integrates mortars into the digital battlefield."

The M95/96 mortar fire control system (heavy) links the M577 fire direction center (FDC) vehicle with up to 18 M1064 120 mm mortar carriers, without soldiers having to dismount. In operational testing, networked vehicles had first rounds in flight in less than 1.5 minutes and achieved a circular error probable (CEP) of about 75 meters. In contrast, conventional mortar platoons typically require 8 to 12 minutes to set up and have CEPs of 230 meters.

Mortar Measurements

The Army currently uses 120 mm mortars on vehicles and 120, 81, and 60 mm mortars with dismounted troops. Mechanized platoons typically have one FDC and four mortar carriers. To drop rounds on target, the FDC translates coordinates provided by forward observers into mortar tube deflection and elevation adjustments. Aiming points are marked on a plotting board with a paper or Mylar overlay to generate the azimuth. Paper firing tables list elevation to achieve the desired range with a given type of ammunition.

The traditional means of aiming mortars has significant shortcomings. To establish azimuth reference lines, mortar crews leave the protection of armored vehicles to place aiming stakes 50 and 100 meters away. Though mortar teams can now establish their precise locations with the Global Positioning System, they still rely on imprecise manual tube adjustments.

Elevation and other computations are made with an M23 mortar ballistic computer. However, the handheld device is based on 1970s technology that is limited in capability and no longer logistically supportable. "It's more of a calculator than a computer," said Matrisciano.

In 1993, the Army sought to give 120 mm heavy mortars the digital fire control...