Identification and Quantification of Sources of Occasion-To-Occasion Elevation Variability in Tank Gun Accuracy.

摘要

This paper describes the identification of some of the root causes of one of the components of tank gun accuracy errors, namely occasion-to-occasion variability. Occasion-to-occasion variability is the shift of the mean impact point for a given tank/gun tube combination from one firing occasion to another. Unless the cannon and fire control system of the tank can be calibrated for each firing event through live fire zeroing, its occasion-to-occasion variability will have an adverse effect on the accuracy of tank cannons. Unfortunately, live fire zeroing before each firing event is impractical for several reasons. First and foremost is the cost. Not only does each ammunition type require a separate zero, but each ammunition type requires a minimum of three rounds to achieve calibration. Even given unlimited ammunition, the logistical requirements of providing this much ammunition to each tank unit is beyond the sustaining capability of those units. Additionally, the tactical situation will rarely allow the time, space or security needed to zero each of the unit's tanks. Finally, there is currently no way to determine the end and start of new firing occasions. A calibration zero may be minutes or days long, depending on many different variables. Many factors influence the magnitude of occasion-to-occasion variability. Identification and analysis of these factors is critical to understanding and solving the occasion-to-occasion variability problems in the Ml series tank. Over the last several years, an effort by the Army Research Laboratory has identified and quantified several components to this error source.