Time on target

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Time On Target (TOT) to German about the time in the target is a method of artillery, wherein the fired projectiles of different guns or batteries all turn at the same time in the target area to increase by surprise of the opponent's effect.

background

When artillery is deployed, the ballistic trajectory of the projectiles is different due to the fact that the individual batteries or guns in a firing position are loosened up for camouflage reasons , which is why the projectiles fired do not hit the target point at the same time. This offers an opponent in the target area the opportunity to seek cover or to move away from the target area when warned by striking the first projectile . This reduces the effectiveness of the firing strike, since, due to the larger target area and height, the probability that a standing person will be hit by artillery fragments is three to four times higher than a person lying down. Even small coverings such as curbs, ditches or furrows further reduce the splinter effect.

Procedure

The specific flight time of a projectile for target range, type of gun, type of shell and propellant charge is indicated on the firing board . From this, the time intervals are determined in which guns located at different distances from the target must be fired so that their shells hit the target at the same time. Today this complex calculation is carried out by digitized fire control computers in the shortest possible time and this information is usually passed on to the guns involved by radio data transmission.

A further development from the TOT process can be implemented with modern artillery systems such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000 , in which, in addition to the straightening system, the loading system is also partially automated and thus a rapid sequence of firings is possible. From a single gun, various combinations of barrel elevations and propellant charges can fire up to six projectiles on different trajectories, which hit the target point approximately simultaneously ( MRSI , Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact). The first shot is fired with the steepest tube elevation, i.e. with the longest flight path and thus the longest projectile flight time. Depending on the target distance, several flatter trajectories, each with a shorter projectile flight time, can then be added.

Thus, for example, a battery of eight self-propelled howitzers could fire 48 projectiles in little more than a minute using the TOT method and leave the firing area again before all projectiles hit the target point. Through this fast-run fire fight and the equally fast leaving the firing position the risk, the clarification of the guns by enemy artillery radar systems are avoided and subsequent return fire.

history

Already during the First World War , greater attention was paid to synchronizing the effects of the artillery involved in the detailed fire plans for the last phase of the war. During the Second World War , combining the fire of several units in time and space was also a common practice in war of movement . With its centralized fire control system, the US Army in particular succeeded in deploying its artillery flexibly and concentratedly against changing targets. With the introduction of electronic fire control computers, the process has been automated and thus further accelerated.