By the middle of15th century, the technology of artillery and gunpowder reached its peak and became important weapons. The most obvious example is 1453, when the walls of Constantinople were destroyed by big stone shells fired by siege guns. Although the fall of Constantinople seems to be caused by the explosion of the small gate, it can actually be attributed to the factors that made the assault possible by shelling.
Medieval artillery was used to shell city walls during siege and fired at a large number of enemy troops on the battlefield. They can accurately destroy the vertical external walls of buildings in castles, so people have developed inclined low external walls instead of towering vertical external walls.
Modern artillery is an important part of the army and the main fire assault force. It has strong firepower, long range, good accuracy and high maneuverability, and can carry out concentrated, sudden and continuous fire assault on ground and water targets.
It is mainly used to support and cover the combat operations of infantry and armored forces, cooperate with other services and arms, or carry out fire strikes independently. Artillery has the title of "God of War" in history.
Extended data:
Artillery is an indispensable equipment force in the war and has the reputation of "God of War" on the battlefield. In a conventional war, if there is no powerful fire support from high-performance and powerful artillery, then the result of this war is that it has been lost before the war.
Therefore, all the military powers in the world have invested a lot of money to develop artillery in equipment competition. China is no exception, from scratch, from backwardness to strength, and now China's artillery has been in the leading position in the world.
In modern three-dimensional warfare, firepower is still the core of combat effectiveness. As a vital backbone in the battlefield, artillery has become the main content of combat operations and an important factor affecting the battlefield situation with its strong firepower, flexibility, reliability, economy and versatility.
Artillery can destroy various targets on the ground, as well as planes in the air and ships at sea. Therefore, artillery, as a basic means to provide offensive and defensive vitality, occupies a solid position in conventional weapons.
The development of artillery is restricted by socio-economic ability and scientific and technological level, and is also dominated by military strategy and tactical thinking. Since the Second World War, the rapid progress of science and technology, especially the development of microelectronics, computers, optoelectronics and new materials, has caused a series of changes in the design, manufacture and use of artillery, greatly accelerating the pace of artillery upgrading.
Modern artillery is no longer a simple mechanical device, but a complete weapon system integrating advanced reconnaissance, command, communication, means of delivery and high-performance ammunition. Therefore, comprehensive performance, including sustainable development strategy, power, reaction speed and maneuverability, is the inevitable trend of artillery system development.
In recent years, the application of high-tech in the field of weapons has caused great changes in artillery technology. The emergence of new concepts and theories such as liquid propellant gun, robot gun, electromagnetic gun, electrothermal gun and laser gun will open a new chapter in the development of artillery in the world.
Baidu Encyclopedia-China Artillery Development