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This article is intended as a concise presentation of the requirements that are expected to emerge for armoured warfare in terms of future operational and technical needs for fire control and battlefield management capabilities.
The frame of reference is provided on the one hand by the changing nature of armoured warfare in the post-Cold War era, and on the other by the new perspective on the technological possibilities that are achievable using modern digital electronics and software. The relationship of fire control and battle management capabilities are fundamentally altered, and their quality is enhanced by integrated software and hardware systems. For example, a taxonomy of fire control in terms of the surveillance, target acquisition and engagement functions in a software-driven distributed processing vetronics architecture is illustrated in Fig.1.
Performance Characteristics
The performance characteristics of future vetronic systems include both explicit and implicit requirements, whose relationship is provided in Fig.2. Explicit requirements, such as manoeuvre warfare and decisive engagement at extended ranges will demand new technical capabilities. Synchronisation of combat operations via battlefield management will be facilitated by computer-controlled digital communications networking combat systems in real time (Fig.3).
Battlefield management in terms of battle space command and control must support multiple echelons of command (platoon leader, company team leader and battalion/task force leader), this support being provided before the battle (plans, orders, manoeuvre, fire support, coordination), during the battle (calls for fire, position location) and after the battle (situation reports, reconstitution, new orders).
Advanced operational capabilities will require comprehensive systems integration for the success of high value missions, to include:
- Lethality (decisive combat at extended ranges, multiple target acquisition, engagement on the move);
-...