Artillery

Artillery is the science of using mechanical advantages, most frequently using combustible propellant, to deliver a projectile with formidable violence against a target at considerable distance. Artillery is classified as cannon, mortar, and howitzer. Cannon are capable of firing only at a flat trajectory, at targets directly within view of the gun. Today, cannons are typically employed only on tanks or infantry fighting vehicles such as the Bradley. Mortars are capable of firing only at a high angle and are, thus, able to attack targets in a defile, hidden behind buildings, structures, vegetation, or terrain. Howitzers are a hybrid weapon, capable of firing at both low angle for direct engagements and high angle for indirect engagements. Nearly all artillery pieces employed today are howitzers, with ...