fire control system

Note: the term "fire control" may also refer to means of stopping a fire, such as sprinkler systems. A fire-control system is a computer, often mechanical, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human firing a weapon, for example, an archer or rifleman, but attempts to do so faster and more accurately.The original fire-control systems were developed for ships. When gunnery ranges increased dramatically in the late 19th century it was no longer a simple matter of calculating the proper aim point given the flight times of the shells. Increasingly sophisticated mechanical calculators were employed for proper gunlaying, typically with various spotters and distance measures being sent to a central plotting station deep within the ship. There the fire direction teams fed in the location, speed and direction of the two ships, as well as various adjustments for Coriolis effect, weather effects on the air, and other adjustments. The resulting directions, known as a firing solution, would then be fed back out to the turrets for laying. If the rounds missed, an observer can work out how far they missed by and in which direction, and this information can be fed back into the computer along with any changes in the rest of the information and another shot attempted.
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Noun
1. naval weaponry consisting of a system for controlling the delivery of fire on a military target
(hypernym) naval weaponry
(classification) military, armed forces, armed services, military machine, war machine

A group of interrelated fire control equipments and/or instruments designed for use with a weapon or group of weapons. 1/8/73

Ensemble d'équipement de commande des armes ou des instruments nécessaires à l'emploi de ces armes. 1/8/73