Artillery refers to crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars with a calibre exceeding that of small arms or infantry weapons. While rocket launchers are often categorized as artillery, the term is more accurately applied to large gun-type weapons that use an exploding propellant to shoot a projectile along an unpowered trajectory. After the perfection of cast-bronze cannon in the 16th century, the second half of the 19th century saw brilliant advancements to artillery pieces. These developments included successful rifling of cannon bores, adoption of more stable elongated shapes for projectiles, and the invention of more powerful and manageable gunpowders. These advances transformed the classification of artillery pieces, with calibre measured by the diameter of the bore in inches or millimetres.

What are some common types of artillery weapons?

Artillery includes crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars with a calibre exceeding that of small arms or infantry weapons. These guns use an exploding propellant charge to shoot a projectile along an unpowered trajectory.

How is artillery different from regular guns or rifles?

Artillery consists of crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars with a calibre exceeding that of small arms or infantry weapons. While rocket launchers are often categorized as artillery, the term is more accurately applied to large gun-type weapons that use an exploding propellant to shoot a projectile along an unpowered trajectory. After the 16th century, artillery saw few improvements for three centuries. In the second half of the 19th century, advances led to more efficient artillery. These advancements included rifling cannon bores, adopting stable elongated shapes for projectiles, and inventing more powerful gunpowders.

How was artillery first used in history?

Artillery's initial use can be traced back to the 14th century with the advent of gunpowder. Early gunpowder weapons appeared, and by the end of the century, large wrought-iron cannons emerged capable of launching stone balls to smash walls. Initially, these weapons were neither efficient nor mobile, rendering them more suitable for fortress arsenals than for battlefield deployment. Frederick I, elector of Brandenburg, strategically employed cannons to systematically conquer his rivals' castles, marking one of the earliest politically significant applications of gunpowder technology. The French and Ottomans were the first to utilize siege artillery decisively beyond their regions.

What role did artillery play in major wars like World War I and World War II?

Artillery played a pivotal role in both World War I and World War II. In World War I, artillery shaped the battlefield, with sizes ranging from French 75-mm field guns to massive 420-mm Big Berthas. The defense was strengthened by artillery advancements, such as recoil mechanisms that allowed rapid fire, which forced infantry to seek refuge underground. During World War II, artillery evolved with improved shells, high explosives like TNT, and proximity fuzes for air defense and ground bombardment. The sheer volume of material consumed was a significant logistic phenomenon. The U.S. Army utilized approximately 60 major types of artillery above .60-inch calibre.

How has modern technology changed the way artillery is used today?

Modern technology has significantly transformed artillery, enhancing its precision and range. Developments include rocket-assisted projectiles and base bleed systems that extend artillery range by reducing aerodynamic drag. The introduction of guided projectiles, like the Copperhead system, allows for greater accuracy by using laser illumination to home in on targets. Furthermore, electronic time fuzes and proximity fuzes, enhanced by transistors and integrated circuits, have improved the effectiveness of artillery against both ground and air targets. These advancements enable artillery to deliver more precise and devastating fire, increasing its tactical importance on the modern battlefield.

artillery

Images & Videos

Diagram showing three types of artillery ammunition: fixed, semifixed, and separate-loading. Each is labeled to indicate the fuse, shell, bursting charge, rotating band, cartridge case, propelling charge, and primer, illustrating differences in how components are assembled and loaded.

At a Glance

artillery summary

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military technology

Written by

Ian Vernon Hogg

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Britannica Editors

History

Top Questions

What is artillery?
Artillery refers to crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars with a calibre exceeding that of small arms or infantry weapons. While rocket launchers are often categorized as artillery, the term is more accurately applied to large gun-type weapons that use an exploding propellant to shoot a projectile along an unpowered trajectory.

After the perfection of cast-bronze cannon in the 16th century, the second half of the 19th century saw brilliant advancements to artillery pieces. These developments included successful rifling of cannon bores, adoption of more stable elongated shapes for projectiles, and the invention of more powerful and manageable gunpowders. These advances transformed the classification of artillery pieces, with calibre measured by the diameter of the bore in inches or millimetres.
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What are some common types of artillery weapons?
Artillery includes crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars with a calibre exceeding that of small arms or infantry weapons. These guns use an exploding propellant charge to shoot a projectile along an unpowered trajectory.
- Guns are cannons designed to fire in a flat trajectory.
- Howitzers are shorter pieces made to throw exploding shells in an arcing trajectory.
- Mortars are short-barreled, muzzle-loading artillery that fire explosive projectiles at low velocities, short ranges, and high, arcing trajectories. They can be carried by infantry and used as a small-scale short-range substitute for artillery.
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How is artillery different from regular guns or rifles?
Artillery consists of crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars with a calibre exceeding that of small arms or infantry weapons. While rocket launchers are often categorized as artillery, the term is more accurately applied to large gun-type weapons that use an exploding propellant to shoot a projectile along an unpowered trajectory.

After the 16th century, artillery saw few improvements for three centuries. In the second half of the 19th century, advances led to more efficient artillery. These advancements included rifling cannon bores, adopting stable elongated shapes for projectiles, and inventing more powerful gunpowders.
2 Britannica Sources
1. artillery
2. Definition of artillery pieces
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How was artillery first used in history?
Artillery's initial use can be traced back to the 14th century with the advent of gunpowder. Early gunpowder weapons appeared, and by the end of the century, large wrought-iron cannons emerged capable of launching stone balls to smash walls.

Initially, these weapons were neither efficient nor mobile, rendering them more suitable for fortress arsenals than for battlefield deployment. Frederick I, elector of Brandenburg, strategically employed cannons to systematically conquer his rivals' castles, marking one of the earliest politically significant applications of gunpowder technology. The French and Ottomans were the first to utilize siege artillery decisively beyond their regions.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What role did artillery play in major wars like World War I and World War II?
Artillery played a pivotal role in both World War I and World War II. In World War I, artillery shaped the battlefield, with sizes ranging from French 75-mm field guns to massive 420-mm Big Berthas. The defense was strengthened by artillery advancements, such as recoil mechanisms that allowed rapid fire, which forced infantry to seek refuge underground.

During World War II, artillery evolved with improved shells, high explosives like TNT, and proximity fuzes for air defense and ground bombardment. The sheer volume of material consumed was a significant logistic phenomenon. The U.S. Army utilized approximately 60 major types of artillery above .60-inch calibre.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How has modern technology changed the way artillery is used today?
Modern technology has significantly transformed artillery, enhancing its precision and range. Developments include rocket-assisted projectiles and base bleed systems that extend artillery range by reducing aerodynamic drag.

The introduction of guided projectiles, like the Copperhead system, allows for greater accuracy by using laser illumination to home in on targets. Furthermore, electronic time fuzes and proximity fuzes, enhanced by transistors and integrated circuits, have improved the effectiveness of artillery against both ground and air targets. These advancements enable artillery to deliver more precise and devastating fire, increasing its tactical importance on the modern battlefield.
1 Britannica Source
1. artillery: Nuclear shells, guided projectiles, and rocket assistance
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

artillery, in military science, crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars having a calibre greater than that of small arms, or infantry weapons. Rocket launchers are also commonly categorized as artillery, since rockets perform much the same function as artillery projectiles, but the term artillery is more properly limited to large gun-type weapons using an exploding propellant charge to shoot a projectile along an unpowered trajectory.

For three centuries after the perfection of cast-bronze cannon in the 16th century, few improvements were made in artillery pieces or their projectiles. Then, in the second half of the 19th century, there occurred a series of advances so brilliant as to render the artillery in use when the century closed probably 10 times as efficient as that which marked its opening. These remarkable developments took place in every aspect of gunnery: in the pieces, with the successful rifling of cannon bores; in the projectiles, with the adoption of more stable elongated shapes; and in the propellants, with the invention of more powerful and manageable gunpowders.

These advances wrought a further transformation in the ever-changing nomenclature and classification of artillery pieces. Until the adoption of elongated projectiles, ordnance was classified according to the weight of the solid cast-iron ball a piece was bored to fire. But, because cylindrical projectiles weighed more than spheres of the same diameter, designation in pounds was abandoned, and the calibre of artillery came to be measured by the diameter of the bore in inches or millimetres. Cannon became the general term for large ordnance. A gun was a cannon designed to fire in a flat trajectory, a howitzer was a shorter piece designed to throw exploding shells in an arcing trajectory, and a mortar was a very short piece for firing at elevations of more than 45°.

Cannons

Rifled bores

In the middle years of the 19th century, smoothbore field artillery was placed at a disadvantage by the adoption of rifled small arms, which meant that infantry weapons could now outrange artillery. It therefore became vital to develop rifling for artillery weapons as well. The advantages of rifling were well known, but the technical difficulties of adapting the principle to heavy weapons were considerable. Several systems had been tried; these generally involved lead-coated projectiles that could engage shallow rifling grooves or projectiles fitted with studs that would fit into deeper rifling. None had proved adequate.

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Cannons

Rifled bores