Types of weapons. Artillery. Unification and systematization of early artillery

An indicator of the perfection of the design and combat power of a gun is its characteristics. The main characteristics of a gun include the caliber of the gun, the longest firing range, the initial velocity of the projectile, the mass of the gun in the firing position, horizontal and vertical pointing angles, muzzle energy, metal utilization coefficient, power coefficient.

Caliber guns d , mm is the distance between opposite fields of the barrel bore, measured by diameter. Caliber is an important design characteristic of a gun; it is used to judge the power of a weapon.

m - important tactical

technical characteristics of the weapon. Her the value is determined by the purpose of the weapon and depends mainly on the mass, shape, size and initial speed of the projectiles And trunk elevation angle.

Initial projectile speed m/s is the speed with which the projectile begins to move in space, assuming that upon expiration the powder gases do not act on the projectile. Its magnitude depends on the design and ballistic characteristics of the gun and ammunition.

Weight of gun in firing positionkg, characterizes ma nervousness and mobility of the weapon. The mass of a gun is mainly determined by caliber, muzzle velocity, projectile mass and gun design.

Muzzle energy- kinetic energy of post

firing motion of a projectile with mass q at the moment of its departure from the barrel. When evaluating a weapon, the magnitude of muzzle energy is considered as a comparative characteristic of its power. When calculating E l, the rotational motion of the projectile is not taken into account.

Metal utilization rate is ha

characteristics of the perfection of the gun's design. It shows how much energy is per 1 kg of gun mass, i.e. per 1 kg of metal. The more advanced the tool, the greater the metal utilization rate. For modern tools = 1600-2000 J/kg.

Weapon power coefficientWITH E , J/dm 3, expresses regarding the reduction of muzzle energy to the caliber cube, i.e.

The power coefficient shows how much energy falls on a conventional unit of barrel volume with a similar weapon design. Because of this, guns of different calibers, but similar and identically constructed and with the same initial velocities, will have an equal value of the power coefficient. It is an important ballistic characteristic of a gun, and when designing a new gun it is usually taken as the original value.

§ 3. Classification and requirements for artillery pieces

Ground artillery guns are classified according to the following main characteristics:

by caliber;

by method of transportation;

by type of weapon;

for the intended purpose.

Depending on the caliber, small caliber guns are distinguished: (20-75 mm), medium caliber (76-152 mm) and large caliber; (more than 152 mm).

Based on the method of movement, guns are divided into self-propelled, self-propelled and towed.

Self-propelled guns are characterized by high mobility, survivability on the battlefield and rapid transition from traveling to combat position. Their disadvantage is the complexity of design and operation.

Self-propelled guns have an engine on the carriage, which ensures independent movement of the gun over short distances.

Towed guns are moved by an artillery tractor. Compared to self-propelled guns, they are simple in design and operation.

Based on the type of gun, they are divided into cannons, howitzers, mortars and recoilless rifles.

Cannons are weapons that impart a high initial velocity to a projectile (700-1500 m/s) and have a small number of warheads; The cannon barrel can be given an elevation angle of, as a rule, no more than 45°. The trajectory of a cannon projectile is flat.

Howitzers are weapons that impart a relatively low initial velocity to a projectile (300-700 m/s) and have a large number of warheads; their trunk can be given an elevation angle of more than 45°.

There are also weapons of an intermediate type - gun-howitzers and howitzer-cannons. The name of the weapon depends on which properties predominate in it.

Mortars are weapons whose barrel in the firing position rests on a plate mounted on the ground and can have an elevation angle of 45° or more. Mortars are usually fired with feathered projectiles.

Recoilless rifles are guns whose barrels in the breech have nozzles for the release of gases in the direction opposite to the movement of the projectile. In this case, the recoil force is balanced by the reactive force of the gases ejected from the nozzle, and the gun barrel remains motionless when fired.

When dividing guns according to their intended purpose, anti-tank guns are usually separated into a special group, which are intended primarily for direct fire at tanks and other armored targets. In addition, there are weapons designed for operations in the mountains (mountain cannon).

When creating new artillery pieces, they are subject to requirements that establish their combat and operational properties. In this case, the experience of combat use of such models, production capabilities, achievements of science and technology and T. p. Consequently, the number and content of requirements for artillery pieces continuously changed in accordance with the general development of the country's productive forces, methods of warfare, military science and technology.

There are three types of requirements: combat, service and production-economic.

Combat requirements are decisive, subordinating all other types of requirements.

The main combat requirements include the following

The power of combat;

maneuverability;

survivability.

The power of combat action means:

the power of the projectile on the target;

longest firing range;

accuracy of combat;

rate of fire.

The power of the projectile on the target is assessed by the effectiveness of its action on the target. Different types of projectiles are used to hit a variety of targets, so different quantitative characteristics are used to evaluate their effectiveness. Thus, the effectiveness of high-explosive shells is determined mainly by the volume of soil ejected during the explosion; fragmentation shells - the number of lethal fragments, bad sparing the affected area; armor-piercing shells - thickness about breakable armor, etc.

Based on the required power of the projectiles on the target, the caliber, type of gun and projectile, and the initial velocity of the projectile are determined. To increase the versatility of the weapon's action, various types of projectiles are created for it. For example, for anti-tank guns, in addition to armor-piercing shells designed to combat armored targets, they also create high-explosive fragmentation shells, which are used to combat enemy personnel and perform other combat missions.

Longest firing range must ensure the completion of a combat mission to the entire depth of the enemy’s defense and maneuver trajectories without changing firing positions, which is very important for massing fire in conditions of dispersed artillery combat formations. An increase in firing range is associated with an increase in the weight and dimensions of the gun, therefore ve the maximum firing range is being specified in for depending on the tasks assigned to artillery of a given type. For anti-tank, tank and some other types of guns, the longest firing range is not a determining requirement, since their main type of fire is direct fire. For these guns, the more important requirement is the direct shot range.

Accuracy battle- this is a property of a gun and ammunition that provides the ability to group the impact points of a projectile in a small area. The smaller the area over which projectile impact points are distributed at shooting alone And the same sight settings, i.e. the better the accuracy of the battle, the faster and with With less shell consumption, you can hit the target. Accuracy battle guns are usually expressed as the ratio of the probable deviation in range and direction (Vd, Vb) to firing range X. The smaller this deviation, the better the accuracy of the battle guns. For modern guns

The accuracy of the battle depends on the quality of the gun and ammunition, on the correct handling of them during shooting and on the shooting conditions. To improve the accuracy of combat, the accuracy of the manufacture of the barrel, projectiles and warheads is increased, and the stability of the projectile in flight is increased by increasing its rotation speed. To reduce the dispersion of projectiles, it is necessary to strictly comply with the requirements of the service manuals for the operation of guns and ammunition. In this case, special attention should be paid to preparing the gun for firing, installing and securing it in the firing position, the accuracy and uniformity of pointing the gun, and the correct preparation of ammunition for firing.

Rate of fire characterized by the largest number of shots that can be fired per unit of time from a combat-ready weapon without aiming correction. The rate of fire depends on the caliber, the degree of automation and mechanization of the gun (automation of loading, opening and closing the bolt, firing a shot), the stability of the gun when firing, as well as on the coherence and precision of the actions of the gun crew.

A high rate of fire makes it possible to carry out combat missions with fewer guns, improves the effectiveness of hitting targets and allows for mass fire.

Under agility the mobility of the gun and its fire maneuverability are understood.

Mobility is determined by the speed and ability of a weapon to move across various terrain, roads, water obstacles, as well as the ability to move by rail, air and water transport.

Improving the mobility of guns is ensured by the creation of self-propelled, floating guns, the use of chassis with suspension and damping, and reducing the weight of the gun. The mobility of modern guns must be no lower than the mobility of the troops with which they will operate together.

The fire maneuverability of a gun is made up of the speed of opening fire and the ability to fire from one firing position without rotating the frames in different directions and at different ranges, quickly transfer fire from one target to another and have different angles of incidence of projectiles at the same ranges. It depends on the longest firing range, the size of the horizontal and vertical firing sectors, the speed of gun pointing and the number of warheads in the shots.

The speed of opening fire depends on the speed of transferring the gun from the traveling position to the combat position, which is largely determined by the weight of the gun and the perfection of its design.

The high fire maneuverability of the guns allows the enemy to suddenly unleash powerful fire on his targets.

Under survivability refers to the property of a weapon to maintain its combat effectiveness for as long as possible under various operating conditions as V peaceful and military

time. The survivability of a barrel is determined by the number of shots that can be fired from it at full charge before it fails. The survivability of a gun's chassis is measured by the number of kilometers traveled before it fails.

The high survivability of artillery pieces is ensured by the strength of their parts, invulnerability in battle, high maneuverability, and strict adherence to operating rules established by service manuals.

The invulnerability of guns in battle is ensured by:

high maneuverability of fire, i.e. speed of opening and accuracy of fire;

Installation of armored shields to directly protect the components and mechanisms of the gun from enemy fire;

creation of small-sized tools.

The correct choice and good equipment of firing positions are also an important factor in ensuring the invulnerability of guns in battle.

Basic job requirements include:

failure-free operation of mechanisms in any operating conditions;

safety of operation of the tool;

simplicity and ease of use of the tool;

immobility and stability of the gun when firing.

Reliability of operation of mechanisms in any

operating conditions is achieved by adopting designs that have been comprehensively tested by theoretical and experimental research, in which the latest achievements of science and technology are applied. In addition, the trouble-free operation of the tool is ensured by the high strength of the most critical parts, the presence of safety mechanisms and devices, and the crew’s solid knowledge of the design and safety rules when handling the tool. The failure-free operation of the mechanisms largely depends on the correct operation of the tool, timely maintenance and the availability of spare parts.

The safe operation of the gun is ensured by the high strength of the most critical parts, such as the walls of the barrel, and the presence of safety mechanisms, devices and guards.

Simplicity and ease of operation of guns must be provided for in all types of operation: when firing, when transferring guns from the traveling position to the combat position and back, when preparing it for firing, when marching, during maintenance, during conservation and re-preservation.

The convenience of working on a gun when firing creates favorable conditions for the crew to perform all operations without physical and mental stress, which can cause rapid fatigue of the crew and, as a result, a decrease in the effectiveness of the combat mission. These requirements will ensure

are achieved by improving the design of the gun, compact and convenient placement of mechanisms on it, and mechanizing the operations of loading and unloading the gun.

The immobility and stability of the gun when firing is ensured by the presence of recoil devices, the quality of preparation of the gun for firing and the correctness of its attachment to the firing position. If the gun is stable and motionless when firing, then the aiming after the shot is not lost, the rate of fire and accuracy of the battle increase, the conditions for working with the gun are improved and the possibility of accidents is eliminated.

Main production and economic the requirements are:

simplicity of design and production technology, allowing you to quickly master the mass production and operation of tools;

interchangeability and standardization of parts, ensuring cost-effectiveness and mass production, ease of repair of tools;

the use of materials made from domestic, non-scarce raw materials.

A large role in reducing the cost of maintaining artillery pieces and ammunition belongs to personnel. Careful handling of guns and ammunition, strict adherence to the rules for their storage and maintenance greatly increase the service life of guns (survivability), reduce losses and costs associated with repairs, and ensure shooting safety.

Its main purpose is to support infantry in battle and fight enemy tanks, wedges and armored vehicles. This artillery always moves along with its infantry, not lagging behind it even a step. It is clear that battalion and anti-tank guns must be small, light, and easily mobile. After all, these guns will have to be rolled across the battlefield by human forces, and, if necessary, even carried by hand in disassembled form.

Rice. 312. 20-mm anti-tank gun from Scotty factory (ground-anti-aircraft)

Such small guns are not difficult to hide behind small folds of terrain, even close to the enemy.
Figures 312-315 show examples of battalion and anti-tank artillery guns. Here we see anti-tank guns (Fig. 312 and 313), which range in caliber from 20 to 57 millimeters, howitzers (Fig. 314), mortars and mortars (Fig. 315), the caliber of which ranges from 45 to 81 millimeters.
The guns, firing direct fire from an open position, will fight enemy tanks and their open machine guns.
Howitzers, mortars or mortars will fire at machine guns and simple enemy fortifications hidden in the folds of the terrain.
If, for example, our advancing infantry suddenly comes under fire from a camouflaged enemy machine gun, it will be possible to immediately, directly by hand, indicate this target to the commander of the anti-tank gun - after all, this small, mobile gun will lead the attack together with the advanced units of the infantry. By firing direct fire, the cannon will very quickly silence the enemy machine gun.
And if the infantry did not have its own cannon, it would be necessary to transmit by telephone or radio to the battery observation post a request to open fire, explain where the target was, and then wait until the battery found the target, aimed and hit it.
A small cannon in the leading infantry units in these cases is more useful than a whole battery standing in a closed position.
If the advance of the infantry is hindered by a dug-in machine gun, a battalion howitzer, mortar or mortar firing overhead fire will always be able to hit it.
In almost all armies, each infantry battalion has its own artillery.
Our army is armed with excellent anti-tank guns and battalion mounted fire guns.
Regimental artillery. Her task is to support her regiment in battle and fight the enemy’s mechanized means, tanks and armored vehicles.
Our regimental artillery is armed with 76-mm regimental guns of the 1927 model (Fig. 316). These guns are very similar in properties to howitzers and are therefore suitable under very diverse circumstances - they have a certain versatility.
Small in size, agile and agile, these guns will move alongside infantry in battle and will often fire from an open position;
Each of our rifle regiments has six of these guns.
In some armies, regiments also have special anti-tank batteries. They usually consist of anti-tank guns with a caliber of 45-47 millimeters.
Divisional artillery intended to destroy all those targets that are encountered in field warfare and prevent the division's infantry from successfully attacking or successfully defending. Divisional artillery has to fight both the enemy’s mechanized means, and his machine guns hidden in nests, and anti-tank guns, and with enemy personnel entrenched in trenches or in various shelters.
It is possible that she will also have to fight enemy artillery.
To carry out all these tasks, divisional artillery has guns and howitzers that are significantly more powerful than battalion and regimental artillery.
Figures 317 and 318 show examples of our divisional artillery guns.
Corps artillery. Its main purpose is to fight enemy artillery, long-range targets in the depths of its defensive zone and strong defensive structures. These missions require very long-range guns and very powerful howitzers.
Examples of such guns in service with the Red Army are shown in Figures 319 and 320.
Each corps has its own corps artillery regiment.
Artillery of the reserve of the main command, or, as it is called for short, ARGK, is intended to strengthen military artillery in the most important sectors of the front and to perform particularly difficult tasks that are beyond the capabilities of military artillery guns.
The reserve of the main command contains various divisional and corps artillery guns, as well as special, especially powerful and long-range guns and howitzers. These guns are organized into regiments, separate divisions or batteries.
Samples of such foreign guns are shown in Figures 321, 322 and 323, and a sample of our guns is shown in Figure 335.
Our Red Army has artillery reserve of the main command, which includes all the necessary and most advanced artillery pieces.
All types of artillery we have considered are armed with ground guns, that is, guns adapted to fire only at targets located on the ground.
But there is another special type of artillery - this flak.
The task of anti-aircraft artillery is to fight the air enemy.

Anti-aircraft artillery is armed mainly with 75- or 76-mm anti-aircraft guns (medium caliber), which were already discussed in detail in the previous chapter (Fig. 296-298).
To combat descending and low-flying (at an altitude of up to two to three kilometers) aircraft, small-caliber anti-aircraft guns are used (Fig. 324 and 325), and to combat aircraft at high altitudes, large-caliber anti-aircraft guns are used (Fig. 326).
Anti-aircraft artillery is deployed in four-gun batteries, and batteries are deployed in divisions of three or four batteries.
The Red Army has first-class anti-aircraft artillery of all types, with all the necessary instruments and machine guns (Fig. 327).
Currently, not only infantry, but also all other branches of the military have artillery. There is no need to talk specifically about the cavalry and mountain divisions: they, just like the infantry, like the rifle divisions, have their own “horse” and “mountain” artillery, adapted for joint operations with these troops.
Even such branches of the military as armored forces and aviation cannot do without artillery.
While auto-armored troops (tanks, wedges, armored cars) operate side-by-side with infantry or cavalry, they can still receive artillery support from them. But when operating independently, for example in the event of a breakthrough or raid, they will need their own mechanized artillery. They need artillery to fight the enemy's anti-tank guns, his artillery, powerful enemy tanks and, finally, enemy aircraft.
The air fleet, when it is on the ground - at airfields - also needs artillery protection. Anti-aircraft artillery must protect it from enemy air raids, anti-tank artillery - from enemy motorized mechanized units that have broken through.
Strange as it may seem, even artillery often needs the help of artillery. Powerful heavy artillery, areas where a large number of batteries are concentrated, marching artillery columns - all this must be protected from enemy attack, protected by the fire of our anti-aircraft and sometimes anti-tank artillery. But artillery penetrates into all branches of the military, not only in the form of special artillery units.

Now tanks, armored cars, armored trains, and even some aircraft are armed with artillery guns, not to mention the navy, where artillery guns have long been the most important part of the armament of large ships.
So, we can rightfully say: in our time, artillery is needed by all branches of the military without exception.
But in order to help all branches of the military, artillery must accompany them and keep up with them.
Is the artillery now coping with this task? Has she achieved the required mobility?

In this section you can get acquainted with various types of artillery, both domestic and created in other countries. We have prepared materials about the history of creation and characteristics of various weapons, their combat use. You will be able to get acquainted with the main trends in the development of modern world artillery.

Artillery is a branch of the military that uses relatively large-caliber firearms to destroy enemy manpower, its technical means and material objects. Artillery troops appeared in Europe in the 13th century. The first artillery pieces were distinguished by their large weight and size and were used to storm enemy cities. Only several centuries later did military artillery begin to be used during land battles.

Around the same period, artillery began to be used in naval battles, and cannons soon became the main weapon of warships. Only in the last century did the role of cannons in naval battles begin to decrease; they were replaced by torpedo and missile weapons. However, even today artillery pieces are in service with almost any warship.

Russian artillery appeared somewhat later; the first memories of it go back to the 14th century. The first information about the manufacture of artillery pieces in Russia dates back to the 15th century. Regular Russian artillery units appeared already in the era of Peter the Great.

In the middle of the 19th century, a real revolution took place in artillery - rifled and breech-loading guns appeared, which increased the efficiency of the use of artillery and turned this type of military into one of the main ones on the battlefield. A little later, unitary ammunition for artillery guns was developed, which significantly increased their rate of fire.

The “finest hour” of artillery was the First World War. Most of the losses in this conflict were caused by artillery fire. Artillery was used especially widely by opponents in major conflicts. During this war, new types of guns were widely used: mortars, bomb throwers, and the first examples of anti-aircraft artillery appeared.

The importance of artillery increased further during World War II. The role of mortars and anti-tank artillery has increased significantly, and new types of artillery weapons have appeared: rocket artillery and self-propelled artillery units (SPG). On our website you will find information about the most famous examples of Soviet and German artillery of that time.

We have collected information about the best self-propelled guns of that period, including Soviet and German self-propelled guns.

During the same period, missile weapons began to develop rapidly, including anti-aircraft systems. Development of such weapons continued after the end of the conflict. Today, air defense systems are the basis of the air defense of any country in the world. Russia has enormous achievements in this area, which it inherited from the Soviet period.

Our country can develop and produce anti-aircraft missile systems of any modifications, designed to destroy air targets at different distances. Russian air defense systems are the most famous brand on the global arms market. Modern anti-aircraft missile systems are capable of destroying air targets at distances of hundreds of kilometers, and can even shoot down ballistic warheads and satellites. In this section you can learn about the latest air defense systems, both domestic and those created by designers from other countries, as well as the latest trends in the development of this type of weapon.

Artillery gun- part of an artillery complex designed to fire a shot in order to perform various fire missions.

Artillery guns, launchers of rocket and anti-tank systems, and ammunition for them, depending on their purpose, the nature of the tasks being solved, and the conditions of combat use, have a different design and nature of action, and a different appearance. However, according to the basic principles of design and operation, each of these primary elements of artillery weapons has much in common with its basic model.

A large number of tasks solved by artillery leads to the need to have in service models that differ from each other not only in the way the projectile imparts forward motion, the design of the barrel bore, combat purpose, weight and method of movement, but also in caliber, projectile flight path, and degree of automation loading and unloading, etc.

According to the method of imparting forward motion to a projectile, artillery is divided into:

1. Receiver.

2. Reactive.

Depending on the design of the barrel bore, on the nature of the movement of the projectile and its interaction with the barrel and the base on which the barrel is fixed, the barrel artillery is:

Threaded;

Smoothbore;

Recoilless;

Universal.

The internal diameter of the bore (pipe) determines the caliber of the artillery gun in millimeters. If the barrel has internal rifling, then the caliber of the gun is determined by the distance between the protrusions of two opposite rifling along the diameter of the barrel bore.

Barrel weapons with a caliber of 20 mm or more are called artillery guns, and those with a caliber of less than 20 mm are called small arms.

Depending on the combat purpose of artillery systems, features and conditions of their combat use, cannon and rocket artillery are divided into:

1. Ground.

2. Anti-aircraft.

3. Aviation.

4. Sea.

1. Ground artillery, in turn, is divided into combined arms (including artillery of the airborne troops), mountain, casemate (stationary), tank and anti-tank artillery.

Taking into account the relevant conditions of combat use, combined arms, mountain and casemate artillery is intended mainly to perform the same tasks as military artillery.

Tank and anti-tank artillery are designed to combat enemy tanks and anti-tank weapons.

2. Anti-aircraft artillery It is used to combat enemy aircraft and is armed with a variety of anti-aircraft artillery systems, from small-caliber rapid-fire to large-caliber automatic anti-aircraft guns.

3. Aviation artillery designed to combat enemy air and ground targets. These are mainly small-caliber, rapid-firing aircraft guns, as well as special rockets.

4. Naval artillery Designed to combat sea and ground targets, it is armed with both small-caliber and large-caliber artillery barrel and rocket systems of varying rates of fire.

Depending on the location, naval artillery is, in turn, divided into naval artillery, coastal mobile artillery (railway or mechanically driven) and coastal stationary artillery (turret or open type).

Depending on the mass of artillery systems, range and power of ammunition, artillery is also divided into:

1. Light.

2. Heavy.

3. Large and special power .

1. Light artillery(caliber up to 100 mm) has good maneuverability on the battlefield and a high rate of fire, accompanies motorized rifle and tank units in the offensive.

2. Heavy artillery is an artillery system with a caliber of up to 200 mm. This includes divisional and brigade artillery, partly regimental artillery. Possessing high shooting accuracy, long range and power, this artillery performs the task of hitting enemy targets in its tactical depth.

3. To artillery of high and special power include artillery systems with a caliber of more than 200 mm. Possessing a large mass and power of ammunition, this artillery ensures the destruction of particularly important, most important and heavily fortified enemy targets (objects).

Depending depending on the mode of transportation artillery is divided into:

Stationary (casemate);

Wearable (by calculation);

Transportable (in the back of a car, etc.);

Pack (transported disassembled);

Self-propelled (using an additionally installed engine and a special drive);

Self-propelled (on a self-propelled wheeled or tracked chassis, with an open, semi-armored or armored hull);

Railway.

Artillery guns, depending on their purpose and design, as well as the trajectory of the projectile, are divided into:

Howitzers;

Howitzer-cannons and cannon-howitzers;

Mortars;

Mortars;

As well as recoilless rifles and roll-out weapons.

This division has existed for a long time and is due to the variety of goals and the nature of the terrain in the target area.

WITH GUNS are called long-barreled guns designed for flat shooting. They are used to destroy vertical and fast-moving targets (tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles), as well as to fire at long ranges. They have a longer barrel than other types of guns, reaching 27-45 calibers and a higher initial projectile speed due to the length of the barrel (about 1000 m/sec).

Due to this, the flatness of fire, the range of the projectile and armor penetration increase.

The flight of the projectile is carried out along a flat trajectory (at elevation angles up to 20 0 - for hitting armored targets, destroying vertical walls of defensive structures, firing on ricochets) and along a suspended trajectory (at elevation angles from 20 to 45 0 - for hitting targets remote from the fire positions more than 2/3 of the greatest firing range).

For firing from cannons, unitary and separate-case loading shots are used (for large-caliber guns).

These include:

85 mm divisional gun D-44;

100 mm PTP MT-12 (T-12).

HOWITSERS are called guns designed for mounted firing (firing with a steeper projectile trajectory than that of cannons).

Howitzers are used to destroy enemy personnel and their fire weapons located behind shelters and in shelters, to destroy wood-earth and concrete structures. They have a barrel length of 12-27 calibers, a smaller projectile mass and an initial projectile speed of about 500 m/s.

To hit targets located behind the ridges of shelters and to destroy combat coverings of defensive structures, mortar fire is used (elevation angles more than 45 0).

They have a variable charge, allowing the composition of charges of different masses. This achieves a change in the steepness of the trajectory and firing range at a constant elevation angle.

For firing from howitzers, shots of separate-case and cap (for large caliber) loading are used. These include: 152 mm howitzer 2A65.

HOWITZER-GUN- an artillery gun capable of performing the functions of both a howitzer, firing primarily along a mounted trajectory, and a cannon, firing primarily along a flat trajectory.

What makes this gun similar to a howitzer is its large elevation angle (about 60-70°) and the use of separate loading with a variable charge; with a gun - a significant barrel length (at least 30 calibers) and, accordingly, a high initial speed. Usually (but not always) it has a large caliber - 120 mm or more.

The term was used primarily in the USSR in the 1930s - 1960s. In fact, it was introduced into the classification for one weapon - the 152-mm howitzer-cannon of the 1937 model (ML-20).

Currently, the term cannon howitzer has exclusively historical meaning, since almost all modern howitzers have a barrel of considerable length and are thus cannon howitzers. For example, the modern 152-mm towed howitzer 2A65 “Msta-B” has a 53-caliber barrel and a maximum elevation angle of 70°.

GUN-HOWITTER- an artillery gun that combines the properties of a cannon and a howitzer with a predominance of the former. These include the 152-mm D-20 gun-howitzer, which is designed for flat and mounted firing. Compared to a cannon, a howitzer cannon has a slightly shorter barrel length and larger angles of barrel elevation and projectile incidence. Compared to a howitzer, a howitzer cannon has a longer firing range.

The length of the gun barrel is 25 calibers. The D-20 was the first 152 mm gun system with a semi-automatic wedge breech with vertical wedge movement. Also, this weapon in modification was used for the 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled gun.

MORTAR fire at a steeper trajectory. The length of the mortar barrel does not exceed 10-12 calibers. Mortars fire at an angle of 45 degrees.

After the end of World War II, mortars finally fell out of use. In modern armies, the functions of a mortar are performed by a howitzer, mortar, and multiple launch rocket systems.

Depending on the purpose and type of main means of firing, modern artillery weapons are considered to consist of:

barrel artillery artillery complexes (AKSA), including an artillery gun with a base, firing devices attached to it, as well as a set of ammunition;

rocket artillery complexes (RAC), including a launcher with attached instruments, ammunition and vehicles;

anti-tank missile systems, including a launcher, an anti-tank missile and a missile control system.

Depending on the purpose, the nature of the tasks being solved, and the conditions of combat use, artillery guns and launchers of rocket systems, and ammunition for them have a different design and nature of action, and a different appearance. However, according to the basic principles of design and operation, each of these primary elements of artillery weapons has much in common with its basic model.

A large number of tasks solved by ground artillery leads to the need to have various guns in service, differing from each other in caliber size, method of movement, intended purpose, etc. Depending on the purpose and design, the trajectory of the projectile, artillery guns are divided into guns and howitzers, howitzer-guns and gun-howitzers, mortars and mortars, recoilless rifles. This division has existed for a long time and is due to the variety of goals and the nature of the terrain in the target area.

Cannons are weapons designed for flat shooting at open ground, air or sea targets located at a great distance. They are long-barreled guns (barrel length is 70-75 calibers), imparting high initial velocities to the projectile (up to 1000 m/s or more). The maximum elevation angle of the gun barrel, as a rule, does not exceed 45°.

Howitzers are artillery guns that fire at targets with projectiles flying along a suspended trajectory, although in some cases their trajectory can be flat. They are used to destroy enemy targets located behind a small hill, in shelters, terrain folds, ravines, to destroy horizontal, wood-earth and other enemy defensive structures, to make passages in minefields, wire fences, etc. To hit targets, the maximum elevation angle of the barrel howitzers can reach 70°. The initial speed of its projectiles is less than that of cannons, and depending on the mass of the charge, it ranges from 300-700 m/s. Accordingly, the barrel length of howitzers is 20-40 calibers. Currently, the troops use howitzers of 122 mm caliber and higher with a maximum firing range of 15 km.

Howitzer-cannons and cannon-howitzers are weapons of an intermediate type between howitzers and cannons. The initial name of the gun is determined by which properties predominate in it - howitzer or cannon.

Mortars are large-caliber (200 mm or more) with a short barrel (up to 16 calibers) ground-based mounted artillery guns, firing at a large elevation angle and designed to destroy reinforced concrete floors, stone and other defensive structures. Currently, mortars in the army have been replaced by heavy mortars, which completely solve the problems of mortars. They are much cheaper to produce and easier to handle.

According to the above classification of artillery pieces, artillery as a whole is sometimes considered: cannon artillery, howitzer, mortar, etc.

According to the degree of automation of loading and unloading and firing a shot, artillery guns are divided into automatic, semi-automatic and non-automatic.

To ensure a high rate of fire, for example, anti-aircraft guns automate both the process of firing and unloading the gun, as well as the process of loading it. Automatic guns fire continuously until the ammunition is completely used up or the trigger is released.

In semi-automatic artillery guns, only a certain part of the operations for preparing and firing a shot is automatically provided. For example, opening and closing the bolt, removing the spent cartridge case and cocking the firing mechanism.

In non-automatic guns, all operations of loading and unloading and firing a shot are carried out only manually by the gun crew.

Like artillery weapons in general, artillery pieces are classified:

by combat mission (ground, anti-aircraft, aviation, sea, railway);

by method of transportation (portable, transportable, towed, self-propelled, self-propelled, railway, stationary);

by design features (rifled, smooth-bore, recoilless, universal);

by caliber (small caliber) - from 20 to 75 mm, medium caliber - from 75 to 155 mm and large caliber - from 155 mm and above. In addition, how tools they are classified:

by type of valve (with a wedge or piston valve, with a vertical or horizontal arrangement);

by carriage type (with elastic or rigid carriage).

Mortars are classified according to the same criteria as artillery pieces. Some differences exist only in terms of their organizational affiliation (mortars are company-owned) and in the type of loading (muzzle-loading and breech-loading).

Like canned artillery systems, multiple launch rocket systems can be classified according to some characteristic features:

by combat mission (ground, air and sea);

by method of transportation (portable, transportable, towed and self-propelled);

by caliber (medium caliber - from 80 to 155 mm and large caliber - over 155 mm);

by range (medium range - up to 15 km and long-range - over 15 km);

to control the projectile on the trajectory (unguided and guided).

Taking into account their purpose, circuit and design solutions, and operating features, anti-tank missile systems can be classified according to a number of basic characteristics:

by combat purpose (ground, tank, helicopter);

by the method of transporting missiles to the battlefield (portable, transportable and self-propelled);

by type of control system (with manual control - first generation ATGM; with semi-automatic control - second generation ATGM; with automatic control - third generation ATGM, promising, implementing the “fire and forget” principle);

by type of communication channel for transmitting commands to the missile (with a wired, thermal, radio or optical communication channel).