STANAG 4355 - The Modified Point Mass and Five Degrees of Freedom Trajectory Model is a NATO Standardization Agreement

STANAG

STANAG is the NATO abbreviation for Standardization Agreement, which sets up processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO state ratifies a STANAG and implements it within their own...

 for surface to surface exterior ballistic

External ballistics

External ballistics is the part of the science of ballistics that deals with the behaviour of a non-powered projectile in flight. External ballistics is frequently associated with firearms, and deals with the behaviour of the bullet after it exits the barrel and before it hits the target.-Forces...

 modelling in support of Artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

, mortar

Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....

 and rocket

Rocket (weapon)

A rocket is a self propelled, unguided weapon system powered by a rocket motor.- Categorisation :In military parlance, powered munitions are broadly categorised as follows:* A powered, unguided munition is known as a rocket....

 systems.

The principal aim of this agreement is to standardize the exterior ballistic trajectory simulation methodology for NATO Naval and Army Forces. The Modified Point Mass model wil be used for spin-stabilized projectiles and the Five Degrees of Freedom model will be used for fin-stabilized rockets. This facilitates the exchange of exterior ballistic data and fire control information. The custodian of this STANAG is Land Capability Group 3 - Sub Group 2 within the NATO Army Armaments Group (NAAG). The most recent promulgated copy is Edition 3, dated 17 April 2009. Implementation of the STANAG is often accomplished by adoption of components of the SG2 Shareable (Fire Control) Software Suite (S4)

SG2 Shareable (Fire Control) Software Suite (S4)

The NATO Army Armaments Group Land Group 4 and their Sub Group 2 on Surface to Surface Ballistics has created a widely used set of shareable fire control software using the Ada programming language...

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For a description of how STANAG 4355 relates to other STANAGs in the areas of ballistics and meteorology please see the following preview (also shown in slide 4 of the following presentation)