SG2 Shareable (Fire Control) Software Suite (S4)

S4 Architecture Diagram

The NATO Army Armaments Group (NAAG) Integrated Capability Group Indirect Fires (ICGIF), formerly Land Group 4, and their Sub Group 2 (SG2) on Surface to Surface Ballistics has created a widely used set of shareable fire control software using the Ada programming language. This product is known as the SG2 Shareable (Fire Control) Software Suite (S4) and is sometimes abbreviated as S4 when referenced.

Fire-control system developers and most of the international (primarily NATO) ballistics communities are familiar with the mature NATO Armaments Ballistic Kernel (NABK) ^[1] and other software component items that have emerged from the NABK development effort. ^[2] The collection of these software items has been enhanced into the “suite” of NATO shareable fire control software.

S4 is one of the biggest pluses for NATO interoperability in the fire support domain and ammunition shareability.

Significant development effort occurs in Aberdeen, Maryland, USA in the Firing Tables and Ballistics (FTaB) ^[3] Division, Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) with contributions from a variety of agencies within participating NATO nations.

NATO Standardization Agreements (STANAGS) and Supporting Research

The S4 implements a variety of NATO Standardization Agreements (STANAGs) including STANAG 4355 and STANAG 6022. ^[4]

STANAG which are the basis for S4 technology

A number of papers and presentations have been published, such as a formal description of the early history of the suite ^[5] and a later presentation ^[6] in the International Symposium of Ballistics (ISB) forum sponsored by the International Ballistics Society (IBS).

Professur für Mess- und Informationstechnik (S4 testing research and related contributions by Germany)

Professur für Mess- und Informationstechnik (Crest Clearance algorithm contributions by Germany)

Integrating Weapon Systems

Implementation Summary

Specific examples include:

Canada

• "rca-arc.org – The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery" (PDF). www.artillery.net. Retrieved 2025-01-05.

Denmark

• "Dansk artilleri-tidsskrift" (PDF) (in Danish). April 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-28.
• "SitaWare Fire Support Module" . Retrieved 2025-10-29.

France

• "Accueil | Knds". www.nexter-group.fr. Retrieved 2025-08-21.

Germany

• Panzerhaubitze 2000
• Artillery Gun Module

Norway

• "ODIN Fire support system - Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace". www.kongsberg.com. Retrieved 2025-01-05.

United Kingdom

• "THE COMPUTER AGE". nigelef.tripod.com. Retrieved 2025-01-05.

References

1. "Read About S4".
2. "Development of firing tables for accuracy stretches back more than 100 years". United States Army. December 27, 2018.
3. "Firing Tables & Ballistics (FTaB)". Archived from the original on 2014-07-28.
4. "NATO Armaments Meteorological Kernel (NAMK) Project" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.
5. "Article title" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-04-03.
6. André J. SOWA (September 2008). "NATO shareable software developing into true suite supporting national operational, fire control systems" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.

External links

• "NATO Organization - Structure". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
• NABK BASED NEXT GENERATION BALLISTIC TABLE TOOLKIT, Sevsay Aytar Ortac, Umut Durak, Umit Kutluay, Koray Kucuk, Maj. Can Candan, 23RD INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BALLISTICS, TARRAGONA, SPAIN 16-20 APRIL 2007