Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1281650
minute. One of the primary deficiencies that the Israeli sight has is the fact that corrections are not made with regards to the cannon movement, they concern the crosshair. The above means that the moving target needs to be tracked for at least 2 seconds (after the firing solution total adjustment button is pressed), and then the target distance also needs to be measured (which takes around 2 seconds as well). As a result of the above, the ballistic computer calculates the adjustment and then implements it which shifts the crosshair that moves to accommodate the adjustment data. The crosshair needs to be placed over the target again, which takes some time. Only then the gun can be fired. The whole procedure takes at least 6 to 8 seconds. In the case of MBTs (Abrams, Leopard 2) or in the case of the newer IFV designs, the firing solution adjustment concerns the gun movement. This means that the target only needs to be tracked for 2 seconds, and after the range is measured, the gunner can take a shot immediately. A primitive auto tracker system is a certain advantage of the TFCS. It uses the data provided from the thermal imaging system. Once the target is designated, it may be tracked automatically when the firing solution adjustment is being processed, and when the range to the target is being measured. We do not know, however, how efficient the tracker is, once the firing solution adjustment is implemented with regards to the crosshair. Most probably the auto tracker does not automatically move the crosshair over the target again. The commander has a binocular-periscope Austrian Photonic sight at his disposal, that utilizes a passive night vision system. The optic does not provide the commander with a panoramic FOV. The magnification options are limited - 1.5x and 6x for the daytime sight and 4x for the night sight. The reticle allows the user to measure the target distance, based on the target height. The commander also has a separate, small display at his disposal, that displays the gunner thermal imaging system feed. Assessing Ulan's FCS one may risk a statement that, effectiveness-wise, the solution is a counterpart of the Polish Drawa system and the Soviet systems of the 1980s. A simple auto tracker and the thermal-imaging camera constitute the sole advantages that this solution has. Lack of a panoramic observation system available to the commander, meanwhile, is a major disadvantage of this solution. Ulan, approved by the Austrian MoD in 1998, serves as an example of the evolution of the IFV firepower happening in the 1990s. The vehicle features a fire control system that is on par with solutions used in the case of most of the MBTs of the 1980s. It also sports a thermal imaging system for the gunner and a primitive auto tracker system. At the same time, it needs to be said that the system in question was really behind the solutions used in the case of the main battle tanks at the time. However, one should also remember the budgetary constraints imposed over the Austrian designers - this was also a cause for resignation from some of the solutions expected to be present in the case of the Ulan IFV. BMP-2 When introduced in 1981, the BMP- 2 IFV's firepower was impressive, to say the least. The vehicle's primary weapon was the 30 mm 2A42 cannon with adjustable burst length and a large quantity of ammunition - 160 BT rounds (AP-T) and 340 OFZ rounds (FRAG-HEI). The gun was stabilized by the electrohydraulic 2E36-4 system. When the vehicle is on the move, at speeds ranging between 25 and 35 kph, the system guarantees an average error of stabilization of 1 mrad at 1 kilometer. This value is twice as high as in the MBTs of the 1980s. However, in the IFVs and at that time, the stabilizer as such was a major novelty. However, the fact that the BMP-2 vehicle had no proper fire control system was a major disadvantage. The commander had a TKN-3B panoramic sight coupled with the OU-3GA2 IR illumination system, TNPO-170A/ TNPT-1 observation periscopes, and a 1PZ-3 sight at his disposal. The gunner, meanwhile, had the BPK-1-42 sight, three TNPO-170A observation periscopes, and a single TNPT-1 periscope at his disposal. It remains a serious challenge to describe the commander's instrumentation positively, considering the capabilities of the contemporary fire control systems. www.fragoutmag.com