Guns Final Flashcards
What is a weapon
“Any instrument or device used in combat, fighting,
or war to attack someone or defend yourself”
What is a weapon system
“A combination of one or more weapons with all related equipment, materials, services, personnel, and means of delivery and deployment
(if applicable) required for self-sufficiency.
What is safety criticality for a gun system
Weapon systems are designed to cause
destruction to their intended targets only.
Critical failure of these systems may cause injury
or death to human beings.
Defined in terms of: safety, accuracy and control
What are mission critical gun system characteristics
Failure of a weapon system to operate or to damage its intended target may cause significant loss in terms of personnel, equipment, capital and/or defence capabilities of a unit, military, or country
Defined in terms of: reliability, flexibility, speed, simplicity, maintain ability
What is the Fire Control problem
How to hit a moving target in a moving medium on a moving platform with a moving projectile
What are the different reference frames
Stable - the frame is fixed and non-rotating with respect to distant stars, it never moves
Unstable - this frame is fixed to a particular object and moves in relation to that object’s orientation
Different types of coordinate systems and what they’re used for
Spherical - ideal for measuring target parameters as a sensor and weapon systems that rotate around their axes. Two angles and a linear distance
Cylindrical - used by some older guns. Angle of bearing, vertical and horizontal distance
Rectangular - describe target’s range in true North/south, east/west, up/down
What is system alignment and parallax error
Two systems that are not co-located will experience parallax error. Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight, measured by angle between two lines
Alignment essential to make sure systems are looking at same object
Convert to same frame of reference using master datum
What are two main categories of ballistics
Exterior - a number of natural phenomenon that tend to cause a weapon in flight to change direction, velocity, or both
Interior - the forces and motion of a projectile as it accelerates inside a gun
What are the forces acting on exterior ballistics
Gravity
Drag - force acts opposite to direction of motion
Wind
Drift
What are the three types of drag
Skin drag - friction on the projectile’s surface as it moves through air
Shape drag - Flow of air creates low pressure zone at base of projectile
Wave drag - Projectile compresses gas in front of it, creates pressure wave
What are the components of wind
Range wind - parallel to projectile’s line of fire
Cross wind- perpendicular to projectile’s line of fire
Detect to engage steps
Detect - determine target exists
Localization - determine target’s exact location
Classification - determine target’s type and probable intent
Tracking - continuously update target’s position through various sensors
Engage - starts when first weapon assigned to engagement plan is activated and end when target has been defeated
Hard kill vs. Soft kill
Hard kill - A weapon that imparts energy to a target in order to cause physical damage. Examples of destructive energy include physical contact (projectile or shrapnel), a pressure wave (explosive force), or directed energy (laser
beams)
Soft kill - Countermeasures that alter the tracking and sensing behavior of an incoming threat to prevent it from tracking its intended target. Examples of interference include active directed EM emissions (jamming) or passive
decoys (chaff, flares).
Total range vs effective range
Total range - minimum and maximum range limits which a weapon can engage a target
Effective range - A portion of the total range in which a weapon system has a PKill above a predetermined threshold for a specific target type
Arcs of fire vs Blind arcs
Arcs of fire - radius of coverage of a given weapon system
Blind arc - Area where weapons cannot fire
AAW Meshed defence
Can’t add pic look at slides
Offensive vs defensive weapons
Offensive - strike at enemy troops, equipment, or infrastructure IOT degrade their combat capability and/or political resolve
Defensive - used to prevent the enemy from striking at our personnel, equipment, or infrastructure IOT protect our combat capability and/or political resolve
Offensive interchangeable with defensive, classification relates to its primary use
