A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more accurately.
A German anti-aircraft 88 mm Flak gun with its fire-control computer from World War II. Displayed in the Canadian War Museum.
Admiralty Fire Control Table in the transmitting station of HMS Belfast.
Ford Mk 1 Ballistic Computer. The name rangekeeper began to become inadequate to describe the increasingly complicated functions of rangekeeper. The Mk 1 Ballistic Computer was the first rangekeeper that was referred to as a computer. Note the three pistol grips in the foreground. Those fired the ship's guns.
Accurate fire control systems were introduced in the early 20th century. Pictured, a cut-away view of a destroyer. The below deck analog computer is shown in the centre of the drawing and is labelled "Gunnery Calculating Position".
The gun data computer was a series of artillery computers used by the U.S. Army for coastal artillery, field artillery and anti-aircraft artillery applications. For antiaircraft applications they were used in conjunction with a director computer.
FADAC M18
TACFIRE Communications Terminal Box
AN/GSG-10 TACFIRE