In regards to missiles and torpedoes, what exactly do they mean when they are working on a firing solution. Especially when most modern missiles and torpedoes seem to have automatic homing / target funding technology?
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Firing a torpedo involves three or more factors while attempting to maintain stealth.
The directions and speed of the ships, the current, and possibly terrain, means that shooting a torpedo is a tricky bit of math especially when the other ships position speed and such may not be known perfectly.
On top of that, while torpedoes CAN use sonar, the later it goes into active hunting mode the better chance to hit the target so the goal is a shot with a course that maximizes the chance of putting the fish in striking range and minimizing the chance to the enemy escaping it.
Hitting a target at range is a complex math problem with many factors. The solution, whether people or computer driven, is the answer to that math problem.
Figuring out where and when to launch a weapon to hit a moving target involves a lot of really complicated math so it’s really like solving a bunch of equations to get all the answers you need, so the solution to all the firing equations is known as a Firing Solution.
All weapons, even guided ones, need some kind of firing solution to get into position to either hit the target or so the guidance system can work.
Think if it this way. You and your friend are playing catch. If you both stand still, it’s pretty easy. If one person starts moving, you throw ‘ahead’ of that person so that the ball gets there when they get there. If you kept it the same, you’d miss them.
Now make both of you move, it gets more complicated based on how you two are moving to each other and how fast. You either increase or decrease the ‘lead’ you are putting on the ball based on those variables.
This is the general principal of ‘locking on’ a target and letting the computer figure out where to point at the beginning. The addition of self guidance means that if the target does something, you still have a good chance of hitting it because it is still pretty likely that it will be _close_ to the original solution.
TL;DR – It’s the computer making a good guess as to where the target will be when the missile/torpedo/projectile will get there and trying to hit it.
Modern weapon systems do often have computers doing the math, but they still have to figure out where to point and when to shoot.
For air defense, missiles and CIWS ammo (a large caliber gatling gun for close in air defense most navies use in one form or another) are limited and they’re ineffective at certain ranges and angles, so the computer might decide waiting a few seconds to engage is the best move.
Depending on the situation, you (or a computer) also have to decide what weapon is best to use, and how much/ many to expend.
Shooting a missile, torpedo or artillery piece involves algorithms and mathematics. Older systems required calculations to be done manually or with mechanical computers, while modern systems use software to calculate the complex parameters.
The basic problem is how to ensure that the weapon will hit the desired target.
It’s simpler when you’re shooting a gun at close range. The sights are typically calibrated to be good enough for close-distance shooting, so you point the gun at the target, align the sights and you’re good.
It’s different when you have to get that bullet to hit a target 2km away, or a missile to hit a target 100km away. You have consider wind, air temperature and density, whether the target is moving, and so on. For very long distance targets, the rotation of the earth means that the target will no longer be in the same spot as when the shot is fired. For a torpedo in the water, you have to consider the relative movements of the targets, the depth of the submarine and the torpedo, and so on. These are among the many things that need to be calculated for the “firing solution”.
For air-to-air missiles, especially BVR (Beyond Visual Range) combat, factors like the target’s aspect (which direction your target is facing, since that can affect a RADAR return or IR tracking), your own velocity, and altitude have to be factored in to whether a missile launch is (or will be) “good”.
For example, at high altitude (= air is thinner, less aerodynamic drag, missile expends less fuel/energy) and high airspeed of the launching platform (= missile has more initial speed when launched), you might get as much as 40 miles (or whatever, I’m wholeass making up this number) of max range out of an AMRAAM; but at lower altitude (= air is more dense, missile has to expend more fuel/energy) and low airspeed (= missile has less initial speed when launched), that max range can drop to 20 miles or less. And those’re just factors that the launching aircraft has some control over (e.g. absent external factors they could choose to go higher and faster before the launch) – we’re not accounting for the target yet (if the target is maneuvering defensively, that will force the missile to have to maneuver and expend fuel/energy; if the target is maneuvering offensively then the launching aircraft may not even get a chance to move to a more favorable scenario because they’re having to defend, etc.).
Missiles may have good homing software, but it’s not good enough to account for every single scenario in combat, and missiles still have to obey the laws of physics – just because you have a target lock at 40 miles doesn’t necessarily mean the missile can reach out that far.
aha. my time to shine. I was a Fire Controlman in the Navy.
it’s heavily associated with old fashioned Naval gunnery. the firing “solution” is the result of several mathematical calculations done to account for the pitch and roll of the ship, the range of the target, and the predicted trajectory of the shell. In the modern day we have computers to do the heavy lifting. But back in the day there were only extremely simple tools like…
an object suspended from the overhead by a string, in order to help the gunner visualize where the deck of the ship was in relation to the horizon. Since gravity is pulling straight down, ya know. a physical rangefinder with two lenses a set distance apart, can be dialed to focus the two disparate images and it gives you an estimated range based on how the left/right lenses are pointed.
The are several major elements to firing any kind of heavy ordinance ….. in older parlance firing solution spoke of a solution to the math problem of calculating trajectory to ensure you hit a moving target….. with modern smart ordinance the “firing solution” accounts for clear path to the target, trajectory solution, and collateral damage ….. know your target and what’s beyond/around it ….. a calculated trajectory might make a poor firing solution if it would result in unacceptable secondary damage ….
A firing solution is the set of data you put in the missile/torpedo/gun. It may be directly giving the torpedo/missile a set of data, or aiming your launcher/gun in the right direction.
History of firing solution
Roughly, 1890: there’s a ship, it’s enemy, fire! The gunner uses a stereoscopic rangefinder to estimate how far to shoot. And lead the target whatever he feels like. 1% hit rate at 2km was considered a success.
1918: lead ship tells you to target the seventh ship in the enemy line. Your firing plotting room has several tables. Checks the target, estimates heading of both shooter and target, gets his own rangefinder estimate, wind is factored. Sometimes, earth rotation is factored in. The first ship that lands a hit will tell the others what range it was exactly and everyone can copy that and adjust the data with its relative position compared to enemy and the ship that gave the useful info. There’s massive clocks on towers of those ships, those clock-like devices were used to display to your friends what range setup gave you a positive outcome.
1930: same but the calculation is not 5 people with paper chart, but a mechanical computer. Still, the first 3-10 salvo were trial and error where you shoot, see where the shell lands and correct. It takes roughly a minute to have the fort firing solution, then you fire half salvo, wait shel to land, correct the data, shoot again. (Roughly one half salvo every shell flight time + correction calculation time)
1945: full on electronics. You factor in anything you know. Own speed, target speed, relative movements, your and theirs, wind, air density, estimated weather at the target location, get your eventual rangefinder reading and your radar rangefinder, compensate for each turret position relative to the bridge, radar or rangefinder. Fire the very first salvo, immediately a full salvo. And you may have a 10% hit rate on a moving target at 27km. Meaning you hit at least with one shell of your first salvo. In the dark, in a foggy night. That’s incredibly good. And then keep firing as fast as your gun can do without melting.
The firing solution is basically, getting to that data that tells you where you should aim. Navy devices are the most interesting as they have to be superb. Both shooter and target are maneuvering to dodge shots, the shell flight time is minutes long, and there’s no external help. On land, it’s good enough if you shoot in the general direction with a spotter that radio you back how wrong you are, that’s something you can’t have on a ship. I mean, you can try row a raft next to the enemy ship to radio the fall of shots, but that’s something the enemy won’t let you do that easy lol.
In short: getting a firing solution is the step just before opening fire. It’s your first usable data to open fire. Means you have located, identified, and estimate well enough where is, your target. If you don’t get a firing solution, you can’t shoot, as it will give away your position without an actual chance to hit the enemy.
In naval context, the next term you find is “X ship finds the range on Y ship” means X ship got to a firing solution that hits something. And then, goes “full auto in the building” against the target. That’s the actual turning point of the battle, as you start to land 1-3 hits per salvo, every 30 seconds. And one hit may likely total a ship anyway.
Hope it helped.
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