Photo By Master Sgt. Brandon Bednarek | Sgt. Damian Drake, fire control sergeant and Chicago native assigned to 2nd Battalion,...... read more read more
FORT BLISS, Texas - From the colonial battles of the Revolutionary War to the modern conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan, field artillery has projected itself as a decisive and powerful cornerstone in the military’s arsenal - earning itself the mantra “King of Battle.”
With the addition of today’s innovative technology, field artillery has evolved from a match-struck fuse to automated tactical data system specialists for the delivery of precise, effective, artillery support.
To remain current on the skills and knowledge of their trade, nearly 30 data system specialists from the 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, have spent the last several weeks zeroing in on the unit’s Fire Direction Control Academy.
The battalion’s six-week course guides soldiers through a multitude of topics, from basic battery organization, to shell-fuse combinations and specialty fire missions. The course also delves into more advanced calculations like minimum or maximum quadrant elevation and a round’s intervening crest, said Sgt. Damian Drake, a fire control sergeant and FDC instructor assigned to B Battery, 2nd Bn., 29th FA Regt.
As one-third of their total training, a great deal of emphasis was placed on the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System, which provides soldiers with fully automated support for planning, coordinating, and executing fires and effects.
Before the use of systems like AFATDS, field artillery was performed manually, where a wide dispersal of rounds would land anywhere between 30 to 50 meters from the intended area target.
Now, with the AFATDS system fully integrated into the unit’s weapon systems, rounds can be placed to the nearest meter of a target, said Drake, a Chicago native.
“It’s faster and more accurate,” he said. “It allows you to pinpoint your target with an artillery shell. As long as your system is good, and you have all the data you need, you can pinpoint one exact spot on a grid.”
“Speed and accuracy is a big thing we are learning right now,” said Spc. Jerome Hendrix, a data systems specialist assigned to A Battery, and a native of Bakersfield, Calif. “This training will help us be more expedient and more accurate in our mission.”
Having spent six years as a data system specialist, Hendrix is using the training to re-familiarize himself on certain aspects of his job, as well as determining areas of improvement before taking the course examination in April.
“It’s wonderful training,” said Hendrix. “The instructors are very well-informed and know exactly what they’re doing. They explain the information really well.”
“There is only so much we can teach them in the classroom,” said Drake. “A lot of it is opening the books and studying on their own.”
For the remainder of training, soldiers will venture outside the classroom to hone their skills on Paladin self-propelled howitzers for the crew drills process, where they will be evaluated and graded by the battalion’s fire direction officer and non-commissioned officer.
| Date Taken: | 03.21.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2012 17:01 |
| Story ID: | 85973 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Firing for effect: ‘Pathfinder’ soldiers take on FDC Academy, by MSG Brandon Bednarek, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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