DETERMINATION OF A FIRE GUIDANCE SOLUTION OF AN ARTILLERY WEAPON

Abstract

A method for determining a fire guidance solution of an artillery weapon in indirect ballistic fire to hit a target. A changing weapon position of the weapon and a target position of the target are taken into consideration as geographical position data.

Claims

1. A method for determining a fire control solution of an artillery weapon in indirect ballistic fire for hitting a target, wherein a changing weapon position of the weapon and a target position of the target are taken into account as geographical position data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one absolute parameter independent of the relative position and/or the relative location of the weapon and the target is taken into account.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein an absolute terrain height of the weapon position, an absolute terrain height of the target position, an absolute time and/or an absolute system parameter of the weapon is taken into account as absolute parameter.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a motion dynamic of the weapon and a motion dynamic of the target, in absolute coordinates, are taken into account.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the motion dynamics are detected in indirectly referenced coordinate systems.

6. The method as claimed in, claim 1 wherein a detection system is used to detect the target.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein an absolute detection system position of the detection system is used in the indirect referencing of the coordinate systems.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the properties of the detection system are taken into account.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one artillery-relevant influencing parameter, including vibration influences of the weapon, and/or vibration influences of a weapon carrier and/or a firing time development, is taken into account.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the artillery-relevant influencing parameter, including its effect on the fire control solution, is extrapolated.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one geographical interference parameter is taken into account for determining an interference-contour-free projectile trajectory.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein a continuous, terrain modeling between the weapon position and the target position is carried out.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one blocking parameter, including a definable restricted area, is taken into account.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein depending on the blocking parameter, including depending on the situation and/or time, no fire control solution is output.

15. A fire control system for determining a fire control solution of an artillery weapon in indirect ballistic fire for hitting a target, wherein the system is set up for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 1.

16. An artillery weapon system with an artillery weapon for combating a target in indirect ballistic fire, including a fire control system as claimed in claim 15.

17. The artillery weapon system as claimed in claim 16, further including a damped weapon carrier for reducing vibrations during motion dynamics, including for filtering high-frequency vibrations.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] Further details and advantages of a method, a fire control system and an artillery weapon system will be explained below by way of example on the basis of the exemplary embodiments schematically represented in the figures. In the figures:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows schematically a direct firing weapon in a top view,

[0041] FIG. 2 shows schematically an indirect ballistic firing of an artillery weapon in a top view,

[0042] FIG. 3 shows schematically taking into account interference parameters when determining a fire control solution, and

[0043] FIG. 4 shows schematically taking into account a blocking parameter when determining a fire control solution.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to hit a target 5 with a ballistic projectile of the weapon 2 of a weapon system 1, it is necessary to solve the so-called fire control equation in order to obtain a fire control solution. With direct firing weapons 1, this is no particular challenge even for a weapon 2 on a moving weapon carrier 3, so that the fire control solution can also be determined for a moving weapon 2. As a result, the direct firing weapon 2 achieves good survivability, since the protective moment of the weapon's 2 own movement can be maintained even during shooting. In the case of indirectly firing ballistic weapons 2, however, such firing while moving is not yet possible, which is reflected in the survivability of such indirectly firing artillery weapons 2.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, there is a direct line of sight 7 between a direct firing weapon 2 and the target 5 to be hit. Without any particular difficulties, the direct-firing weapon 2 can already be roughly aimed at the target 5 along a direct line of sight 7. To determine the fire control solution, the movement of the target 5 in the target coordinate system K5 can be easily detected from the weapon 2 with a direct line of sight 7 to the target 5 directly in the coordinate system K2 of the weapon 2 and used to determine the fire control solution. In such a direct firing weapon 2, the position and movement of the target 5 relative to the weapon 2 are determined directly and as such relative positions and movements are also taken into account in determining the fire control solution.

[0046] Due to the comparatively small distances and the direct line of sight 7 between the weapon 2 and the target 5 during direct firing, which is characterized by a flat projectile trajectory, an error between the position of the target 5 detected by the weapon 2 and the actual position of the target 5 results solely from the time that the light needs to travel the distance between the target 5 and the weapon 2. Due to the comparatively short distance and the very high speed of light, this time lag is negligibly small in direct firing.

[0047] During the indirect ballistic firing shown in FIG. 2, however, the fire control solution cannot be determined as easily as for direct firing. During indirect ballistic firing, the distance between the artillery weapon 2 and the target 5 to be hit is significantly greater than in the case of a direct firing weapon, so that there is no direct line of sight between the weapon 2 and the target 5. As indicated in FIG. 2, which is not to scale, the line of sight 7 of the artillery weapon 2 is rather interrupted by an interference parameter 12. This interference parameter 12 is indicated in FIG. 2 as a terrain height, but due to the very long distances can also be caused by the curvature of the earth as such. Due to the lack of a direct line of sight between the weapon 2 and the target 5, the coordinate systems K2, K5 can no longer be related to each other, so that there are two independent coordinate systems for the weapon 2 and for the target 5.

[0048] In order to be able to determine a fire control solution under these conditions in order to be able to hit the target 5 with the artillery weapon 2, the changing weapon position P2 of the weapon 2 and the target position P5 of the target 5 are taken into account as geographic position data with the method according to one embodiment. Both the position of the target 5 and the constantly changing weapon position P2 during the movement of the weapon system 1—indicated by the black arrow arranged on the weapon carrier 3—are indicated as geographical positions on the earth's surface. This indication can be made, for example, according to the respective longitude and latitude, so that these are considered for a weapon position P2 and the target position P5 as geographic position data in an absolute coordinate system KA, which is not affected by the respective position of the weapon 2 and the target 5 relative to each other.

[0049] In addition to the weapon position P2 and the target position P5, the respective motion dynamics of the weapon 2 and target 5 can also be taken into account when determining the fire control solution. These motion dynamics can also be taken into account when determining the fire control solution in an absolute coordinate system KA, which can be, for example, the same coordinate system as has already been used for determining the geographic position data.

[0050] However, in order to be able to take the motion dynamics into account when determining the fire control solution, they must first be detected. The movement of the target 5 takes place in the coordinate system K5, while the motion dynamics of the weapon 2 take place in the weapon's own coordinate system K2. However, in order to be able to detect the motion dynamics of the weapon 2 and the target 5 in relation to each other, in order to then transfer them to an absolute coordinate system KA and take them into account when determining the fire control solution, the coordinate systems K2 and K5 must be referenced to each other, i.e. related to each other. This can be carried out by means of a detection system 6 independent of the weapon 2, with which the target 5 can be detected. By means of this detection system 6, indirect referencing of the coordinate systems K2, K5 to each other can take place, even without an existing direct line of sight between the weapon 2 and the target 5. This indirect referencing relates the two moving coordinate systems K2, K5 to each other. In this way, it is possible to transform the motion dynamics of the target 5 detected in the coordinate system K5 with the indirect reference to the coordinate system K2 of the weapon 2 and the geographical position of the weapon 2, for example more easily detectable by means of a weapon's own GPS system, into an absolute coordinate system KA. This motion dynamics of the target 5 transformed into the absolute coordinate system KA can then be taken into account when determining the fire control solution.

[0051] Since vibrations of both the weapon carrier 3 and the weapon 2 relative to the weapon carrier 3 can occur while the weapon system 1 is moving in the terrain, the influences of these vibrations as artillery-relevant influencing parameters in addition to the classic parameters for firing while moving, such as the target distance, the wind and the air pressure, can be considered as additional statistical parameters when determining the fire control solution of the weapon 2. In this case, these vibration influences of the weapon 2 and/or the weapon carrier 3 as well as other artillery-relevant influencing parameters, such as firing time development, can be calculated for the time of firing the weapon 2 by extrapolation. A terrain model, from which unevenness in the terrain and resulting vibration influences can also be predicted, can also be incorporated in the prediction of these artillery-relevant influencing parameters and in particular of the vibration influences, in addition to the past values of these influencing parameters.

[0052] In FIG. 3, the indirect ballistic firing of an artillery weapon 2 of a weapon system 1 is shown schematically from a side view. This shows how the topography of the terrain as an interference parameter 12 prevents a direct line of sight between the weapon system 1 and the target 5. As can also be seen, the terrain at the weapon position P2 has a different terrain height than at the target position P5. To solve the fire control equation, these different absolute terrain heights of the weapon position P2 and the target position P5 are taken into account as absolute parameters. The absolute terrain heights at the weapon position P2 and the target position P5 can be specified against an absolutely defined zero level, such as sea level, and as such, for example, are taken from map information stored in a memory of the weapon system 1, based on the geographical position data of the weapon position P2 and the target position P5.

[0053] A detection system 6 in the form of a satellite is shown above the weapon system 1 and the target 5 in FIG. 3. From the detection system position P6, this detection system 6 can directly detect both the target 5 at the target position P5 and the weapon system 1 at the weapon position P2, i.e. there is a direct line of sight between the detection system 6 and the target 5 or the weapon system 1.

[0054] From the detection system position P6, the detection system 6 can thus detect the target 5 and its motion dynamics in the coordinate system K5 in this way. This detection can be carried out, for example, using radar radiation reflected by the target 5, infrared radiation emitted by the target 5 or optically using light reflected by the target 5. The reflected radar radiation, the emitted infrared radiation or the reflected light thus forms a detection signal which, despite propagation at the speed of light, requires a time t1 to travel the distance between the target 5 and the detection system 6 and to be detected at the detection system position P6.

[0055] In the detection system 6, this detection signal is processed before the processed signal is forwarded from the detection system 6 to the weapon system 1 at a time t2 after detection. The transmission of this processed signal from the detection system 6 to the weapon system 1 in turn requires a certain time t3.

[0056] Since both the weapon 2 with the coordinate system K2 located at the weapon position P2 and the target 5 with the coordinate system K5 located at the target position P5 can be detected from the detection system 6, the detection system 6, with its detection system position P6 determinable in the absolute coordinate system KA and the coordinate system K6 of the detection system 6 at this position, is suitable for indirect referencing of the coordinate systems K2 and K5. During this indirect referencing by means of the detection system position P6, for example, the coordinate system K5 with its origin at the target position P5 can first be referenced from the detection system position P6 with the original coordinate system K6 there. Subsequently, referencing of this detection system position P6 in the coordinate system K2 can be carried out from the weapon position P2. By means of the coordinate system K6 located at the detection system position P6, referencing of the coordinate system K2 and the coordinate system K5 at the vehicle position P2 or the target position P5 can be carried out in this way, even without there having to be a direct line of sight between the target position P5 and the weapon position P2.

[0057] In order to further improve the accuracy in determining the fire control solution, properties of the detection system 6 are also taken into account when determining the fire control solution. These properties may be in particular the time t1 for acquiring the target 5 detection signals by the detection system 6, the time t3 for transmitting the detection signals or the time t2 for processing the detection signal by the detection system 6.

[0058] Although in FIG. 3 the detection system 6 is shown as a satellite, it may also be other movable detection systems 6, such as a drone, a UAV or a reconnaissance aircraft. Such mobile detection systems 6 could have a changing detection system position P6. For such movable detection systems 6, the motion dynamics of the detection system 6 itself may also be included in the properties to be taken into account during determination of the fire control solution.

[0059] A special challenge for land-based weapon systems 1 in the context of indirect fire while moving is the solution of geographical challenges, which are reflected in particular in the form of geographic interference parameters 12-14. These geographic interference parameters 12-14 may be, for example, the topography 12 of the terrain or geographical structures, for example bridges or buildings as structures or the trees 13, 14 shown as vegetation in FIG. 3 in the area of the weapon 2 and in the area of the target 5. In order to avoid influencing the projectile during its ballistic movement from the weapon 2 to the target 5, a projectile trajectory 11 must be selected which is free of interference contours of these geographical interference parameters 12-14. Technically, the firing weapon system 1 must calculate the interference contour freedom of the projectile trajectory 11 to the target 5 on the basis of geographical map material. This requires continuous, highly dynamic terrain modeling between the weapon system 1 at the weapon position P2 and the target 5 at the target position P5, extrapolated into the future, especially taking into account the duration of the projectile flight. As a result, on the one hand, an interference-free launch angle A relative to the horizontal at the weapon position P2, which is to be regarded as a quasi-static firing position at the moment of firing the projectile, and on the other hand, an interference-free approach angle B to the extrapolated target position P5, calculated in particular taking into account the projectile flight time, can be ensured.

[0060] In FIG. 3, only the projectile trajectory 11 is free of an interference contour. The projectile trajectory 8 having a smaller launch angle A, on the other hand, would already intersect the interfering contour 13 shown as a tree in the area of the weapon 2, so that a projectile on this projectile trajectory 8 would be disturbed by the interfering contour 13. The projectile trajectory 9 intersects the profile of the terrain as an interference parameter 12, so that the projectile on this projectile trajectory 9 would not reach the target 5 but would previously strike at the height of the terrain. The projectile trajectory 10 also intersects an interference parameter 14 in the form of a tree, whereby the approach angle B of the projectile would be disturbed. Of the projectile trajectories 8 to 11 calculated for different fire control solutions and shown in FIG. 3, taking into account the geographical interference parameters 12 to 14, only the projectile trajectory 11 would be free of interference and would thus be suitable for hitting the target 5 by indirect ballistic fire.

[0061] With the modification shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the detection system 6 in the form of a satellite, a further detection system 6 is provided at the detection position P6, which may be, for example, a fixed observation post from which the target 5 can be detected at the target position P5. The motion dynamics of the target 5, which is moving on a road 17, can be detected from this terrestrial observation post as a detection system 6.

[0062] The motion dynamics of the target 5 detected relative to the detection system position P6 can be transmitted to a fire control system 4 of the weapon system 1 together with the absolute position of the detection system 6, for example in the form of GPS positions in the absolute coordinate system KA. Together with the map data stored in the fire control system 4, the motion dynamics of the target 5 in the absolute coordinate system KA can be determined from the relative motion dynamics of the target 5 together with the absolute detection system position P6 for being taken into account when determining the fire control solution. During determination of the fire control solution by the fire control system 4, the absolute motion dynamics of the weapon system 1 are then also incorporated in the absolute coordinate system KA, being detected in the coordinate system K2 and transformed if necessary.

[0063] As well as the information from the ground-based detection system 6 at the detection system position P6, the detection signals processed by the detection system 6 in the form of a satellite can be forwarded to the fire control system 4 of the weapon system 1 for determining the fire control solution.

[0064] A defined restricted area 15 extends as a blocking parameter around an object 16 to be protected, which is a hospital, for example. A projectile may not enter this restricted area 15 for safety reasons and may not strike there, otherwise it would represent an inadmissible safety-related threat to the object 16. In order to comply with this restricted area 15, this is taken into account as a blocking parameter when determining the fire control solution. Should the target 5 continue to move along the road 17 towards the object 16 to be protected, so that it enters the restricted area 15, no fire control solution would be output when determining the fire control solution as long as the target 5 is in the restricted area 15, even if hitting the target 5 would be possible without taking the blocking parameter into account.

[0065] With the help of the method, the fire control system 4 and the artillery weapon system 1 described above, it is possible to increase the survivability of the artillery weapon 2 and its operating crew, in particular even during a firefight in which the weapon 2 is firing at a target 5 and is itself exposed to return fire.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0066] 1 Weapon system [0067] 2 Weapon [0068] 3 Weapon carrier [0069] 4 Fire control system [0070] 5 Target [0071] 6 Detection system [0072] 7 Line of sight [0073] 8-11 Projectile trajectory [0074] 12-14 Interference parameter [0075] 15 Restricted area [0076] 16 Object [0077] 17 Road [0078] A Launch angle [0079] B Approach angle [0080] KA Absolute coordinate system [0081] K2 Coordinate System [0082] K5 Coordinate System [0083] K6 Coordinate System [0084] P2 Weapon position [0085] P5 Target position [0086] P6 Detection system position [0087] t1 Time [0088] t2 Time [0089] t3 Time

[0090] Having described the invention in detail and by reference to the various embodiments, it should be understood that modifications and variations thereof are possible without departing from the scope of the claims of the present application.