Fire Control System (FCS)
Definition
An integrated optic, rangefinder, and ballistic solver that computes and displays a real-time firing solution. Examples: TrackingPoint PGF, Elbit FALCON, Rafael MARS. Logs shot data including range, atmospheric conditions, and applied correction.
- Components
- Optic, rangefinder, ballistic solver
- Function
- Computes and displays a real-time firing solution
- Examples
- TrackingPoint PGF, Elbit FALCON, Rafael MARS
- Logged data
- Range, atmospheric conditions, applied correction
Common questions
Why is the logged data from a fire control system useful in a forensic ballistics investigation?+
Because the system records the range, environmental inputs, and correction it applied at the moment of the shot, that log can corroborate or contradict a shooter's account of distance and conditions independent of a post-incident scene reconstruction.
How does a fire control system differ from a standard telescopic sight in what it forensically leaves behind?+
A conventional scope leaves no record of the shot at all, while an FCS stores the computed solution and inputs electronically, giving investigators a data trail that a standard optic cannot provide.
Related terms
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- Coriolis Effect
- Apparent deflection of a moving body due to the rotation of the Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere, deflects projectiles to the right...
- Eötvös Effect
- The vertical component of the Coriolis effect on a bullet. Increases impact elevation for eastward-fired shots, decreases it for westward-fired shots. Typically...
- Laser Rangefinder (LRF)
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- Magnus Effect
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- Miliradian (Mil)
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- MOA (Minute of Angle)
- 1/60 of a degree of arc. Equal to approximately 2.908 cm (1.047 inches) at 100 m. Used in civilian and some law...
- Spin Drift
- Consistent lateral drift of a bullet in the direction of rifling twist, caused by gyroscopic precession of the bullet's nose around the...