BAE Systems has launched a new digital fire control system for artillery at the Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris, with the company saying its Next Generation Indirect Fire Control System is designed to enhance the precision, speed and connectivity of modern artillery operations, the company said.
The system is designed to support artillery crews at the point of fire, providing a modern digital fire control capability that the company says enables faster targeting, improved accuracy and enhanced operational awareness.
According to BAE Systems, the capability supports the delivery of indirect fires while connecting individual guns with wider sensor and effector networks, allowing data to move seamlessly across operations rather than sitting locked within a single battery or platform.
John Borton, Managing Director of BAE Systems Weapon Systems UK, said: “Modern conflict demands the ability to sense, decide and act at speed.” The new system, he said, had been developed to help armed forces “accelerate the delivery of fires” by connecting platforms, sensors and decision-makers “through a resilient digital architecture.” It provides, he added, “the foundation for a more integrated and responsive fires capability where it matters most.”
The system is built around an open architecture approach and has been designed to integrate with a wide range of existing and future platforms, with the company saying the design enables it to operate across different artillery platforms and digital environments, allowing operators to incorporate sensors, command systems and other effectors as part of a connected ecosystem. That flexible architecture also supports future upgrades, enabling armed forces to evolve their fire control capabilities over time without significant changes to existing equipment.
BAE Systems has also pushed the sovereignty angle, saying the system has been developed with a sovereign UK baseline configuration that provides customers with greater control over the deployment and management of their fire control capabilities, a consideration that has climbed the agenda for European buyers wary of dependencies in the software layer of their weapons.
