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Lets talk about fire control systems. How do they function and what makes them so expensive? As far as I understand basic fire control systems: The operator/chip in the round/marker inputs the shell data. A range finder finds the range of the target, and calculates the trajectory of the shell. A sensor (dunno what they are called) finds the height difference between the AFV and the target, compensating for the elevation/depression. A temperature sensor gives the temperature to compensate for loss of power in the gunpowder and air density. A wind sensor gives the wind speed, compensating for the wind. A sensor keeps track of barrel sway and its position and compensates for it. Two encoders keep the positioning of the turret azimuth and gun elevation. A vision camera/vision software tracks the target, compensating and moving the turret according to the target. (Also tracks target heading?) A laser surface velocimeter measures the targets speed, and compensates. All this is feed into a microcontroller, which calculates the appropriate coordinates, which is feed to most likely two servos controlling the turret traverse and elevation. When the gunner squeezes the trigger, the systems safety is off and will pull the trigger when the gun aligns with the coordinates. The microcontroller also feeds the information into the AFV's main computer. Of course, some formulas and PID regulators would be used to gain the appropriate values. This is how I theorize the FCS of a modern AFV works. Top of line, as you can begin shaving off features to have it cheaper, though the vison camera probably comes for free if you have a thermal or digital sight. Feel free to correct me if you want. If anyone has information about FCS or can add some more please do.