Once the Ford Mark 1 had a target fix you were basically ****ed
Not as much as you think. The earliest FCS like the Mark 1 effectively only let you shoot in obscured conditions (night, fog, etc) and allowed you to correct for the Coriolis Effect. You even still had to ladder shoot to get the range on the early systems. Even with the advanced systems like the Mk 38 used on the Iowas, that was still a hit rate of like 35-40%. On the other hand, that was indeed a massive step up from "traditional" fire control which would have an accuracy rating of like 5% on a clear day.
That said, the point about guided artillery being no good against ships is true. If they are sitting around or moving slow, sure. But if they are going full bore its out of the question.
Although if you are in the market for cheap anti-ship method (which btw, is compatible with the F-16's the Taiwanese air force is rocking), they recently discovered you can destroy a ship with JDAM's.
Raytheon added semi active laser targeting to the M982 in the Excalibur S, so that 155mm shells could be directed in descent by apaches and reapers. The firing battery only has to get them in the ballpark.
They then added fire and forget capability with an onboard radar in the Excalibur N5, which is intended to be shot from the 5"/54 M45. Again, the firing battery only has to get it in the rough ballpark of where the target will be.
Taiwan has a solution for that already.
Not as much as you think. The earliest FCS like the Mark 1 effectively only let you shoot in obscured conditions (night, fog, etc) and allowed you to correct for the Coriolis Effect. You even still had to ladder shoot to get the range on the early systems. Even with the advanced systems like the Mk 38 used on the Iowas, that was still a hit rate of like 35-40%. On the other hand, that was indeed a massive step up from "traditional" fire control which would have an accuracy rating of like 5% on a clear day.
That said, the point about guided artillery being no good against ships is true. If they are sitting around or moving slow, sure. But if they are going full bore its out of the question.
Although if you are in the market for cheap anti-ship method (which btw, is compatible with the F-16's the Taiwanese air force is rocking), they recently discovered you can destroy a ship with JDAM's.
Raytheon added semi active laser targeting to the M982 in the Excalibur S, so that 155mm shells could be directed in descent by apaches and reapers. The firing battery only has to get them in the ballpark.
They then added fire and forget capability with an onboard radar in the Excalibur N5, which is intended to be shot from the 5"/54 M45. Again, the firing battery only has to get it in the rough ballpark of where the target will be.
In short... we have the technology.