Naval Fire Control System

On U.S. Navy ships, the Naval Fire Control System (NFCS), also designated the AN/SYQ-27, is a system to plan gunfire support of friendly forces ashore. Since the forces requesting fire may be from any of the military forces, NCFS will interoperate with the Army Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS), the Global Command and Control System-Maritime, and the existing shipboard Gun Weapon System; GWS actually loads, aims, and fires the gun. It has been installed on Burke-class destroyers from DDG-81 to 90, and is planned for the remaining Burkes and for the Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

The user interface uses the same dual screens used for BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile attack planning. It presents a common operational picture of the naval Land Attack (e.g., missile as well as gunfire) picture of the assigned operational areas, and automatically deconflicts naval gunfire support.

Calls for fire from forward observers can be either digital or by voice. Communications ashore can go over VHF, HF, or UHF satellite communications, and it works with the inter-ship digital communications system.