Yeah, think you are right, what did the Finns decide about their SP requirement, I know AS90 and PZH 2000 did a lot of testing there. I believe they favoured the PZH 2000 purely due to the increased automation.

Netutralizer got it right. Finnish defence forces. But Neutrilzer pointed an error for me. I remembered cep errors for rocketlauncers. BM21 The Error of 0.3% and +-1% have to do with flight distances. And as one mill is 1.5 meters in km you can only be so accurate: 15 meters in 10km and 60m in 40km. Also with unguided munitions the weather can only be so accurate. Thus an error of flight distance. sideways inf flightpath 3m in lenghtwice 10m/km for rocket launcers. But they are used for area targets anyhow. Of course the mill limitation remains the same for all flight distances. This really begins to be annoying with ranges 30km+ but is not really issue with shortshooting artillery. AS to safe distnces they are for infantry to know how close thay can be. (well really how close the attack can proseed at the heels of barrage.) And to the quetion of new Sp arty. seems that PzHB 2000 was too heavy. But Haven't heard that they would have picked the system as of now. But didn't know that you had to keep 1000m of landscbe between infantry and impacts in NATO. Seems that FDF artillery will be the bleeding edge for years to come. 8)

Rockets are inherently less consistent and accurate that guns, the problem is the local low level wind when they are launched, it can vary from minute to minute as we all experience everyday. A slow moving rocket leaving the launcher is very susceptable to it. I'm fascinated to learn that there are NATO safe distances. It's starting to sound like the old USSR, they too had the quaint notion that all NATO armies had the same tactics! Actually safe distance is a national matter. What's more what happens on training areas and what happens on operations are very different. It also depends whether you are talking about the 'opening' rounds when target location error and accuracy are issues along with dispersion or adjusted when dispersion is the only issue (not forgetting the fragment pattern in both cases). I would encourage any potential enemies of NATO to keep believing that dismounted infantry will never be less than 1km from their supporting arty fire. That way the ungodly get nasty surprises.

Yep. I guess safe distances wary. But I underrestood that there had to be minimum 1000m between the OP and rounds impacting. I dont think that anyone wnats to go back to good ole days of artillery barrages (1st WW) when it was considered normal to loose 5-10% of own men to ownb artillery barrage. Hmm sovs seemd always count it pretty close as they felt that first guys in penetration point should be there paracticaklly at the same time as last impacts. As to NATO countries. (Finland is not one) Waasn't it Artyeng who wrote something about safe 1000m?

No I did, refering to SVN (not NATO) where opening rounds had to be aimed no closer than 1000 metres to known positions, the main reason for this was to accomodate map reading errors by infantry in jungle. After opening rounds subequent rounds could be adjusted to as close as was required. In 1965 D Coy 6 RAR engaged a VC Main Force regt reinforced by a Local Force battalion in a rubber plantation, there was no air support due to the weather conditions. Aust troops suffered some 22 KIA including several from their own arty fire which was very close. Some 250 VC bodies were recovered by Aust troops an unknown number were not. You can have arty fire as close as you want. In attack you still have to keep close to the covering fire. You need to be onto the enemy within 2 minutes of covering fire lifting.

Well hereabouts assaulting the strongpoint (or attacking really, they dropped assault of in 90ies) the pipes go as follows. at -3 minutes last Heavy arty grenades ar at target. inf 300m away. at -2 last medium artillery grenades ar at target. inf at 200m then about at -1 heavy mortars ditto, and inf at 150m at 0 light mortars last grenades at target and inf at about 50m out So then infantry attacks. Heavy arty has at that point the "back target" under fire (cuts off defenders reinformecements) and rest of arty and mortars follow suit. after breach artillery is "on call" Or, as you pointed out, it says in manual...