Fire control system FWL-59
The fire control system FWL-59 , also known as fire control vehicle 59 , was a command vehicle developed in the GDR and used in the air defense of the National People's Army .
In the 1950s, the air defense of the NVA was equipped with the 57 mm Flak S-60 and the 100 mm Flak KS-19 . The gun alignment stations GRS-4 and GRS-9 and later the RPK-1 fire control complex were available for fire control . These had the option of electronic aerial reconnaissance, but could only display the information provided by their own radar on the viewing devices. An air situation picture could only be provided to a limited extent. Therefore, from the second half of the 1960s, the battery command post 66 was used within the flak batteries . The fire control system FWL-59 was developed and introduced in the second half of the 1950s for the command of the anti-aircraft regiments and departments as well as the command batteries of the chiefs of the air defense of the motorized rifle and tank divisions.
The fire control system was simple. An all-terrain truck of the type Robur LO 1800 A with a simple box body was used as the carrier vehicle . Two air situation maps and the telecommunications equipment were installed in the box body of the truck . Two radio devices R-109 M, two radio devices R-105 M, two radio receivers EKB or R-311 , one radio receiver R-313 , a loudspeaker system with amplifier and four listening devices were available as telecommunication equipment . The radios for two radio circuits could be remote-controlled from the driver's cab of the truck . The air situation data were transmitted by radio and entered on the air situation map by plan draftsmen.
The most important difference of the further developed fire control system FLW-59/1 was the possibility of remote control of the communication node R-146 . An R-407 radio relay was installed for this purpose . Instead, the R-105M radios were omitted. There were two R-311s and one EKB on radio receivers. There was also an FF-63 field telephone , a KSS 10 commander's intercom and a KFG-2M commander's remote control unit.
The crew of the vehicle consisted of the operation in the command battery of the chief of the air defense
- the chief of the division's air defense,
- the chief officer operational work,
- the officer operational work,
- the group leader,
- up to three draftsmen.
When deployed in the anti-aircraft regiment or the anti-aircraft department, the commander and his chief of staff occupied the fire control vehicle instead of the chief of the air defense and the chief operational officer.
When the anti-aircraft missile complexes 2K11 and 2K12 were introduced into the NVA at the end of the 1970s , the existing fire control equipment came together with the S-60 to the mobilization divisions , where they remained until the NVA was dissolved. The 100 mm anti-aircraft gun KS-19 had already been retired. The fire control equipment and the associated 57 mm anti-aircraft gun were not taken over by the Bundeswehr .