An introduction to the sources of delivery error for direct-fire ballistic projectiles

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD: U.S. Army Research Laboratory. – 36 p.This report describes the primary sources of delivery error for direct-fire ballistic projectiles. I explain how error sources and their resulting shot distributions are characterized statistically. Next, I describe the major types of error sources and the steps a shooter might take to reduce them. Three major categories of error sources are outlined: fixed bias errors, variable bias errors, and random errors. For a weapon system, fixed bias errors always remain constant, while random errors always change. Variable bias errors stay constant within an engagement but change between engagements. The report concludes with detailed descriptions of error sources within each category.