Fire Control System Integration Facility

The Fire Control System Integration Facility (FCSIF) is a High Bay facility capable of accommodating a broad array of self propelled and towed weapon systems for system-level integration and testing of various fire control components and subsystems. The facility has a floor area of 11,400 square feet with a 50 ft high ceiling and a 35 ton overhead crane. The facility is accessible by the various weapon systems through a 24 ft wide by 14 ft high overhead door. The FCSIF is equipped with outdoor radio antennas mounted on the building's rooftop that facilitate communicating with the FDC M577 and various weapon systems throughout the arsenal area to support navigation and other system-level testing. The FCSIF is flanked on each side by System Integration Laboratories (SILs) that contain a full complement of electrical instrumentation for system interfacing, monitoring and data acquisition during testing. A rooftop mounted GPS antenna provides GPS signal that is networked and re-radiated through out the laboratory, thus eliminating multiple GPS antennas and providing GPS signal in the SILs and Highbay area. The hardware and software systems undergoing integration, debugging and testing are typically developed in-house as a new capability or a performance upgrade for a specific system. The facility contains shop tools, overhead lifts and cranes for removal and replacement of components weighing up to thirty-five tons, and is heated and cooled for year-round, all season work. Systems currently using the facility include the M1064 Mortar Carrier, M577 Fire Direction Center, STYRKER Mortar Variant, M777 Lightweight Howitzer, and the M109A6 Paladin Self-Propelled Howitzer