The Impact of Numerical Shifts on the Field Artillery Firing Accuracy

This article evaluates the impact of numerical shifts on firing data determination, the propagation of deviations resulting from this practice, and their influence on the accuracy of field artillery fires. It also examines the necessity of diverse shifting rules and the feasibility of implementing a unified approach across all existing procedures. The work utilised a mixed methodology, combining deductive reasoning, experimental methods, and quantitative analysis. We simulate the uncertainty propagation in target location methods and the determination of firing data, analysing the resulting uncertainty concerning the anticipated impact points caused by numerical shifting. The study compares the effects of firing data with the effective lethal radius of field artillery munitions deployed by the Portuguese Army. Our findings reveal that the deviations arising from the prescribed shifting technique, as defined in the doctrine concerning target location methods and firing data determination, may surpass the lethal radius of the ballistics munitions, thus reducing the effectiveness of the fires and necessitating alternative numerical shifting in contemporary practice. We propose an alternative numerical shifting approach to enhance the effects while streamlining the process of target location and firing data determination.