Dynamic pointing accuracy evaluation system and method used with a gun that fires a projectile under control of an automated fire control system

A dynamic pointing accuracy evaluation system used in conjunction with a weapon system including a gun that fires a projectile from a barrel toward a target upon receipt of a shoot command from an automated fire control system that is activated by a firing command generated by a gunner viewing the target through a gun sight, the dynamic pointing accuracy evaluation system comprising:

• a digital firing-image camera mounted to the barrel of a gun and having a known imaging relation relative to a pointing direction of the barrel of the gun;
• a photo trigger command line that transits a photo trigger command from the fire control system to the firing-image camera at the same time that the fire control system generates the shoot command, whereupon the firing-image camera produces a firing image upon receipt of the photo trigger command;
• a range finder that provides to the computer an actual range from the gun to the target associated with the time at which the photo trigger command is transmitted;
• and
• a computer that receives the firing image and determines a calculated strike location from the firing image and from a range of the gun to the target.

A dynamic pointing accuracy evaluation system used in conjunction with a weapon system including a gun that fires a projectile from a barrel toward a target upon receipt of a shoot command from an automated fire control system that is activated by a firing command generated by a gunner viewing the target through a gun sight, the dynamic pointing accuracy evaluation system comprising:

• a firing-image source having a know imaging relation relative to a pointing direction of the barrel of the gun;
• an imaging trigger command line that transmits an imaging trigger command from the fire control system to the firing-image source whereupon the firing-image source produces a firing image upon receipt of the image trigger command;
• and
• a computer that receives the firing image and determines a calculated strike location from the firing image and from a range of the gun to the target.

A method for evaluating dynamic pointing accuracy used in conjunction with a weapon system including a gun that fires a projectile from a barrel toward a target upon receipt of a shoot command from an automated fire control system that is activated by a firing command generated by a gunner viewing the target through a gun sight, the method comprising the steps of:

• the gunner sending a firing command to the automated fire control system;
• the automated fire control system;
• sending a shoot command to the gun responsive to the firing command, and
• sending a photo trigger command to a firing-image camera mounted on the barrel of the gun and aimed parallel to a boresight of the gun, responsive to the firing command;
• the firing-image camera producing a firing image responsive to the photo trigger command and sending the firing image to a computer;
• and
• the computer determining a calculated strike location from the firing image and from a range of the gun to the target.