First Shot Mortar System

Mortar systems are widely used within the Special Operations Force to provide organic fire support. Traditionally, due to inaccuracies in estimates of orientation, position, and environmental parameters, the first mortar fired has been unlikely to produce effects on target and is used to determine the required correction for subsequent salvos. While estimates of the enemys position have become increasingly more accurate in recent years due to advances in technology, currently fielded mortar systems continue to rely on century-old technologies such as aiming stakes. Lynntech proposes to develop a sensor fusion technique to track the mortar tube location and orientation, air density, direct and indirect wind measurements, the user supplied input, correlation to existing digital terrain data for target, and weapon system altitude to correct for vertical target offsets. All of this information will be fed to an Android tablet/phone control device which integrates the measurements into a ballistics kernel to determine the necessary number of charges, heading, and inclination. This system will then visually guide the user in a method similar to existing direct-lay mortar fire control systems with visual indicators of correct alignment and incline to properly adjust the weapon for a successful first shot.