Universal Battery Level Fire Direction System (UBLS)

The UBLS is designed to provide battery commanders with an interactive network disseminating real time informational updates essential to rapid and efficient fire direction.

As the Universal name suggests, the system can be utilized for any field artillery system, including mortars, using NATO or former Warsaw pact angle measurement systems.

The system uses tablet computers linked to position sensors attached to each gun which both provide data to and receive data from, the battery commander’s hand held control unit.

This simultaneous information exchange over a wireless network removes the need for oral communication between the battery commander and individual gun crews and exponentially improves quality and quantity of information flow. This includes gun specific information such as

• Gun grid coordinates

• Quantity and type of ammunition held

• Ballistic characteristics of ammunition

• Charge temperature

• Quadrant elevation

• Deflection

• Gun ready/ not ready for firing

The system also stores and updates all relevant tactical battlefield information:

• Target co-ordinates

• Total ammunition stocks

• Meteorological information

• Battlefield alerts and signals

• Personnel numbers and equipment

The gun setting is calculated by the commander using an enhanced version of UDC’s Universal Ballistic Computer, which was developed to replace all of the complex manual calculations associated with indirect fire settings with simple computer input . The setting appropriate for each gun is then displayed on each individual gun computer, and once the settings have been established by the gun crew, sensors detect the horizontal and vertical coordinates and acknowledge to the commander that the gun is in firing position. Fire orders are then transmitted to gun crews over the network. Once firing commences the system logs rate of fire and expenditure of ammunition, thereby assisting with logistical control of ammunition stocks.

Additionally, because information/ command data transmitted over the network is completely electronic, everything can be monitored, logged and reviewed, providing invaluable data for post-mission analysis.

System elements:

The system comprises the following:

1 x Commander hand held computer (pic. 1)

Up to 8 x tablet computers either hand held or attached to each gun at customer’s option (pic. 2)

1 x portable weather station.

All computers use standard Windows operating systems with UDC proprietary software.

Pic. 1 Commander hand held computer

Pic. 2 Assembled gun computer system

Pic. 3 Tablet computer

Note: * The suggested number of units can be changed in accordance with the customer requirements.

THE GUN SENSORS AND DEVICES

Electronic Sight (pic. 4) is designed provide an easy to use and accurate means of laying an artillery weapon in the vertical plane, as well as providing correction for any lateral displacement in the trunnion axis.

Pic. 4 Electronic gun sight

2. The control sensor for horizontal gun laying (pic. 5) is designed to control laying an artillery weapon in the horizontal plane.

Pic. 5 The control sensor for horizontal gun laying

3. Wireless modem (pic. 6) is designed to provide the information exchange between commander hand held computer and tablet computers.

Pic. 6 Wireless modem

4. Switch (pic. 7) is designed to transmit information from the Electronic Gun Sight, Control sensor for horizontal gun laying and Wireless modem to the Tablet computer.