Gun data computer
The gun data computer is a series of artillery computers used by the U.S. Army, for coastal artillery, field artillery, and antiaircraft artillery applications. In antiaircraft applications they are used in conjunction with a director.
Variations
- M1 Gun Data Computer is used by seacoast artillery for major caliber seacoast guns, it computes continuous firing data for a battery of two guns that are separated by not more than 1000 feet. it utilizes the same type of input data furnished a range section with the present (1940) type of position finding and fire control.
- M3 gun data computer is used in conjunction with the M9, and M10 Directors, to compute all the firing data of azimuth, elevation, and fuze time. The computations are made continuously, so that the gun is at all times correctly pointed, and the fuze correctly timed, for firing at any instant. the computer is mounted in the M13, or M14 Director trailer.
- M4 The M3 and M4 are Identical except for those mechanisms and parts which vary with the ammunition used.
- M8 Gun Data Computer (built by Bell Labs) is used by coast artillery with medium caliber guns (up to 8-inches). The M8 series uses electrical methods for computing firing data. it will make the following corrections, wind, drift, earth's rotation, muzzle velocity, air density, height of site, and spot corrections.
- M9 The M8 and M9 are Identical except for those mechanisms and parts which vary with the ammunition and gun size used.
- M10 Ballistics computer, part of the M38 fire control system, for the Skysweeper
- M13 Ballistics computer, for M48 tank
- M14 Ballistics computer, for M103 heavy tank
- M15 part of the M35 field artillery fire control system, which included the M1 gunnery officer console, and M27 power supply.
- M16 Ballistics computer for M60A1 tank
- M18 FADAC (Field Artillery Digital Automatic Computer) FADAC was first fielded in 1960, it was the first Solid state (electronics) Digital electronics field artillery computer.
- M19 Ballistics computer for M60A2 tank
- M21 Ballistics computer for M60A3 tank
- (M1 Ballistics computer for M1 Abrams)
- M23 mortar Ballistics computer
- M26 fire control computer for AH-1 Cobra, (AH-1F)
- M31 Mortar ballistics computer
- M32 Mortar ballistics computer, (handheld)
Systems
- The Battery Computer System (BCS) AN/GYK-29 is a computer used by the United States Army for computing artillery fire mission data. It replaced the Field Artillery Digital Automatic Computer. (FADAC). It is small enough to fit on a HMMWV.
- The AN/GSG-10 TACFIRE system automated Field Artillery command and control functions. It was composed of computers and remote devices such as the Variable Format Message Entry Device (VFMED), the Digital Message Device (DMD) and the Firefinder Field Artillery target acquisition radar system linked by digital communications using existing radio and wire communications equipment. Later in its service life, it also linked with the Battery Computer System (BCS) which had more advanced targeting algorithms.
The last TACFIRE fielding was completed in 1987. Replacement of TACFIRE equipment began in 1994.
TACFIRE was a second generation mainframe computer developed primarily by Litton Industries for Army Divisional Field Artillery (DIVARTY) units. It had two configurations, Division and Battalion level, housed in mobile command shelters. Field Artillery Brigades also use the Division configuration.
Components of the system were identified using acronyms:
- CPU (central processing unit)
- IOU (input/output unit)
- MCMU (mass core memory unit)
- DDT (digital data terminal)
- MTU (magnetic tape unit)
- PCG (power converter group)
- ELP (electronic line printer)
- DPM( digital plotter map)
- ACC (artillery control console)
- RCMU (remote control monitoring unit)
The successor to the TACFIRE system is the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS).
- The AFATDS is the "Fires XXI" computer system for both tactical and technical fire control. It replaces both BCS (for technical fire solutions) and IFSAS/L-TACFIRE (for tactical fire control) systems in U.S. Field Artillery organizations, as well as in maneuver fire support elements at the battalion level and higher. As of 2009, the U.S. Army was transitioning from a Sun Microsystems SPARC Computer based AFATDS running off the Linux kernel, to a Windows-based version run on laptop computers.
Surviving examples
One reason for a lack of surviving examples of early units, was the use of radium on the dials, this in essence made them hazardous waste, and therefore these type were disposed of by the United States Department of Energy. Currently there is one surviving example of FADAC at the Fort Sill artillery museum.[1]
See also
References
- TM 9-2300 Standard Artillery and Fire Control Materiel dated 1944
- TM 9-2300 Artillery Materiel and Associated Equipment. dated May 1949
- ST 9-159 Handbook of Ordnance materiel dated 1968
- Coast Artillery Journal March April 1946 [2]
External links