In a digital world it is seconds really. In that special case all data are stored on digital maps updated constantly. GPS and laser gyros will give you your own position. The magazine of your autoloader is filled and the ammunition has digital fuzes. The main task left is to add “range-elements” to the autoloader. When at the battlefield already, there is no need for verification procedures at a given moment. All targets in question are stored in a digital-map already. Over a secure data-link there is a constant update, the firing data were fed in your firing computer, which will start the firing sequence, when freed by the commander.
When the few rounds were fired within a minute (7 rounds per SLFL within a minute), the SFLs are on the move again, before being stopped for the next surprise fire hit. (MRSI = Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact) Within a given range such a unit poses a constant deadly threat to an adversary round the clock. But I give in, that even the lastest modification of the M-109 A* is not a KMW PzH 2000 and your claim about minutes related to that is correct.
Yeas like I said if all factors and phases are equally modern and the technological stuff understand each others then yeas the data to the guns will come in mere secconds. Then its down to the artillerysystems firing modes and methods. Setting the fuzes isen’t the factor, most often you can use normal “dump” fuzes which requires nothing more than setting it being either “stiff” or “unstiff” (simply by removing or leave intact the cork atop the fuze). What takes time is the charges. Most western 155mm systems uses seperate chargepags which are not so difficoult to operated by automatic loaders and simple press of buttons makes the system automaticly select the right ammount of those pags.
So in ideal theoretical situation its done very fast…but it requires that everything goes like a dream and you have the best available systems in all the phases of the artilleryfire.
After firing all that is left is the accuracy factor. My personal experiences with military GPS are rather few and not so impressive, our 155K98 used gyroscope-based navigation and targeting system which IMO is superior to any satelite based systems like GPS. For instance we setted the co-ordinates to the gun at our garrison in Vekarajärvi drove about 900 km to Rovajärvi and the gun knew exactly where it was. When we came to the fireposition we just pressed a single button and the location data of the gun was sended to the battery’s HQ. Once we tested the location with man-portable military GPS (don’t know the exact type) and it gave the position of the gun wrong in several hundred meters…
But then again, Finnish Lapland really isent ideal place for GPS systems that cannot read glonass satelites as well. Most of the time the Satelite coverage is so poor, that its impossible to make good surveys.
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