■ AFATDS: The Fire Support Window to the 21st Century By STEVEN W. BOUTELLE and RONALD FILAK DOD Multiple rocket launch system. he trend toward “third wave warfare” bombing, it is becoming more identified with ac- (namely, de-massing and customizing curate sensors, weapons systems, and munitions. forces and weapons) and creation of a T digitized battlefield has been widely A Joint Resource discussed within the Army. And although doctri- Advances in weaponry and targeting have nal and organizational implications must be fi- increased the burden of managing fire support nalized, it is clear that smaller, more dispersed operations, always a complex and exacting forces as well as joint and combined capabilities process. This difficulty, however, is being lessened will be hallmarks of future operations. Further- greatly by automation. The Army advanced field more, command and control (C2) systems that artillery tactical data system (AFATDS) is about to support JFCs must provide horizontal and vertical make its third wave warfare debut. This state-of- interoperability and be able to exchange situa- the-art system supports the need for horizontal tional awareness information across the force. and vertical interoperability, distribution of situa- This also is true of fire support—that is, can- tional awareness information, and automation in nons, rockets, missiles, mortars, naval guns, and the process of matching fire support weapons sys- bombs—which provide lethal, flexible, and deci- tems against high-payoff targets. sive assets to JFCs in prosecuting the battle. From the field artillery digital automated While fire support has long been characterized by computer of the 1960s to the tactical fire direction massed fires such as artillery barrages or carpet system (TACFIRE) of the 1980s and the initial fire support automated system of today, the field ar- tillery community has been in the forefront in au- tomated support for commanders in combat. Colonel Steven W. Boutelle, USA, is project manager for Field Artillery AFATDS developers have drawn on experience Tactical Data Systems and Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Filak, USA (Ret.), from earlier systems—coupled with requirements is a member of Computer Sciences Corporation. 16 JFQ / Spring 1996 Boutelle and Filak analysis and ongoing feedback from soldiers and as field artillery assets (cannons, rockets, and mis- marines in the field and advanced warfighting ex- siles). This automated analysis process also en- periments—to develop a C2 system responsive to a ables a fire support commander to automatically commander’s needs by supporting: generate and digitally distribute fire support an- ■ the integration of all fire support assets into the nexes and plans. planning and execution of support for the maneuver Second, the exchange of situational aware- commander’s operation ness information allows AFATDS to constantly ■ the application of commander’s guidance to pri- provide up-to-date graphic depictions of battle- oritize targets, enabling fire support assets to be directed field information. This provides commanders at the most relevant and important enemy assets timely information with which to formulate or ■ the automated exchange of digitized target in- adjust guidance while eliminating the need to formation and situational awareness with other units transport and post (via grease pencils and tape) throughout the joint force. bulky situation maps. While AFATDS was originally an Army sys- tem, it is now joint and under development by Target Acquisition the Army for its own requirements and those of Since it is interoperable with a variety of C2 the Marine Corps. A major portion of version 2 systems, AFATDS provides commanders with development incorporates major advances in the ability to see the battlefield the Armed Forces are taking Marine-unique require- and plan future operations. Intelligence collec- ments. Furthermore, pre- tion systems can develop large amounts of data a quantum leap in conducting liminary discussions are un- on potential targets throughout a battlefield. fire support operations in aid derway on the applicability AFATDS provides commanders interoperability of the “core software en- of a single service or JFC with the all source analysis system (ASAS), an au- gine” of AFATDS to the fire tomated Army C2 system used by the intelli- support roles of the Air gence/electronic warfare community. ASAS, in Force and Navy. This article discusses operational, turn, provides access to targeting information via technical, and interoperability features of AFATDS Trojan Spirit and tactical intelligence collection that provide JFCs and fire support coordinators systems. Trojan Spirit offers a communications (FSCOORDs) with these capabilities. gateway to national intelligence databases and multiservice tactical intelligence systems includ- Operational ing material from the Central Intelligence With AFATDS, the Armed Forces and fire sup- Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Na- port community are taking a quantum leap in the tional Security Agency, as well as tactical target ability to provide timely help for conducting fire data from systems such as the joint surveillance support operations in aid of a single service or JFC. target attack radar system (JSTARS), the Guardrail The operational capability of AFATDS is made up and Rivet Joint electronic intelligence collection of 27 major functional capabilities in five func- systems, and the Air Force tactical reconnaissance tional categories. The breadth of fire support func- aircraft (see figure on next page). tionality and horizontal interoperability of AFATDS make it the most comprehensive informa- Planning tion warfare combat system available. The fire sup- At the same time weapon systems are be- port planning function provides FSCOORDs with coming more capable of attacking identified tar- several key capabilities. gets with pin-point accuracy. It may no longer be First, since the concepts of operation and necessary to launch a wave of bombers or mass guidance are entered into its database, AFATDS an attack by tube artillery to take out a critical can assist in performing course of action analysis target. Instead, planners—through the AFATDS– on alternative battle plans. Operators can adjust ASAS interoperability capability—can open the any combination of variables to identify the im- door to a storehouse of available targeting infor- pact of the changes on the ability of fire support mation and use automated target analysis and to sustain a commander’s plans. The same degree target attack capability from AFATDS to match of flexibility allows for the application of analysis weapons assets against selected targets. If a situa- against several options proposed by JFCs to deter- tion warrants—against tactical missiles such as mine which plan is most supportable from a fire Scuds—this can be done in seconds and without support perspective. AFATDS performs this analy- human intervention. sis using information on all types of available fire While providing access to this vast array of support: air attack (including attack helicopter information, AFATDS also uses distribution crite- and fixed-wing close air support), naval gunfire, ria and graphic overlay filters to ensure that users mortars and offensive electronic warfare, as well Spring 1996 / JFQ 17 ■ FIRE SUPPORT WINDOW AFATDS operators in a corps fire support element National, Strategic, and Tactical Sensors Linked to (FSE) normally observe status down to the battal- Fire Support Weapons Systems. ion level. However, the AFATDS database has in- TIBS formation on firing platoons and batteries that constitute each battalion. This data is successively TR-1 “rolled up” to develop status on the battalion. NATIONAL ASSETS Corps FSE operators can institute a parameter JSTARS that tells the computer to distill the information on subordinate units and report status at battal- ion level. (Concurrently, counterparts at division FSE or division artillery level can establish para- meters, with the same database, at battery or fir- ing platoon level.) Corps FSE operators can change a parameter to allow insight into specific GROUND PROCESSING GROUND information that applies to any of the firing pla- FACILITY STATION MODULE toons within a given area. The fire support execution portion of MLRS AFATDS implements many functions which have MLRS not been previously automated. In providing au- (ATACMS-Equipped) tomated target analysis—ensuring that the right TROJAN SPIRIT target is engaged at the right time by the right AFATDS ASAS weapon/ammunition mix—AFATDS offers major MLRS FIRE DIRECTION increases in speed fire mission processing. (Perfor- CENTER mance tests indicate that AFATDS processes mis- sions in 10 to 50 percent of the time for Army training standards.) Fire support execution fea- receive only needed information. Operator con- tures include: trolled distribution lists filter the information ■ elimination of “first in, first out” processing and which is conveyed by AFATDS to its subordinate engaging of targets: target management matrix and stations. For example, an AFATDS operator can high payoff target list tools provide for sensor inputs to establish distribution criteria for remote stations be matched against concept of the operation and fire that will provide only information of importance. support guidance to move important targets to the Although vast amounts of information reside front of the queue in the AFATDS computer, map, and overlay tools, ■ a database of unit information,