BAE Systems launches indirect fire control system based on Ukraine lessons

A BAE Systems M777 155 mm/39 calibre towed ultra lightweight howitzer (ULH) seen in August 2025. (BAE Systems)

BAE Systems has launched its next generation indirect Fire Control System (FCS) which has been modernised based on some of the lessons learned in Ukraine, Ian Kelley, business development director at BAE Systems UK, told Janes during a media briefing on 9 June 2026.

The lessons include the need for faster data input from different sensors, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), for target engagement and improved accuracy, according to Kelley. UAVs with an AI feature for target identification can be used for more responsive artillery spotting. “Some of the AI is enabled to say ‘you're off target by X metres' and feed that back [to the guns]”, Simon Evans, research and development director at BAE Systems UK told Janes on 9 June. This type of data is seen as “critical” for reconfiguring a gun and adjusting fire, according to BAE Systems representatives. “We're also saying that it doesn't matter if the data comes from a drone, a satellite or a UGV [unmanned ground vehicle]. It's a source of data that we can input if the CONOPS [concept of operations] allows us to do so directly,” Kelley said.

Data transmission

The FCS is set to decrease the time it takes data to travel down the chain from sensor to command post to gun. “It takes minutes and we're looking to get that down to seconds”, Evans said. He added that achieving faster data transmission also depends on the communications networks being used.