This spear was discovered in July 1987, and entered the Mongolian Museum of Metaculture in Tibet in June 1998+00. In 2004, it was jointly recognized as the earliest artillery in the world by Dade Artillery Archaeology Institute, War and Strategy Research Office of the Strategy Department of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Mongolian Studies Center of Inner Mongolia University.
Made of copper, with a bowl-shaped spear, with a total length of 34.7 cm. The two lines of eight-siba inscription on the gun body indicate that it was written in the second year of Dade, namely 1298. Among the discovered bronze spears of the Yuan Dynasty, the earliest one is the Wankou Spear of Shunzhi Sannian (1332) in Beijing Museum of Chinese History. (No.3 of Cultural Relics Magazine 1962) The newly discovered Tongkou spear in Inner Mongolia was 34 years earlier than the three years of Shunzhi, making it the earliest artillery in China and even in the world.
In the Spring and Autumn Period, China had used a projectile weapon called fire. At the latest, after gunpowder was used in the military in the 10 century, it was used to eject gunpowder packs and shells. At the latest in the Yuan Dynasty, China had produced the oldest artillery, namely the ware. /kloc-after gunpowder and firearms spread from China to the west in the 3rd century, artillery began to develop in Europe. /kloc-in the first half of the 0/4th century, Europe began to manufacture artillery that fired stone bullets.
In order to improve the adaptability of artillery firepower, modern artillery is equipped with various long-range grenades, anti-tank mines, anti-tank submunitions, artillery-guided projectiles, chemical projectiles and nuclear bombs (see nuclear weapons) in addition to ordinary grenades, armor-piercing projectiles, flares and smoke bombs, so that artillery can suppress and destroy various targets ranging from several hundred meters to tens of thousands of meters. In the Epitaph of Yuan Gong on the Shangshu Festival of the Ministry of War, written by Kong Mingyun, the senior minister of the Ming Dynasty said, "Gong (Yuan Keli) was ordered to ambush and set fire to the grass in the wind, and all the grains were burned. The slave was very angry. In autumn, he took the cannon and divided the soldiers into two ways to take revenge. "
Experiments have been carried out for centuries before gunpowder weapons really come in handy. The biggest problem in the development of gunpowder is fast ignition, uniform quality and great power. Besides, it is not easy to design a suitable gun. If it is not designed immediately, it cannot be launched. Due to the early manufacturing technology, the danger faced by gunners is actually similar to that of shelling targets. For example, in 1460, King John II of Scotland died in a gun explosion.
By the middle of15th century, the technology of artillery and gunpowder reached its peak and became an important weapon. 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 and low external walls to replace the towering and vertical artillery external walls. During this period, the role of artillery in the battlefield was limited, because the artillery was still very heavy at that time, and it was difficult to move to a new position for combat shooting.
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.
After long-term development, artillery has gradually formed a variety of artillery systems with different characteristics and uses, and has become an important means of firepower in the war, and has been equipped with a large number of army, navy and air force all over 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. Gun type
People usually classify the types of guns according to their uses, ballistic characteristics, motion modes and bore structures.
According to the purpose, artillery can be divided into ground suppression artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, anti-tank artillery, tank artillery, aviation artillery, naval artillery and coastal artillery. Ground suppression artillery includes cannon, howitzer, cannon howitzer and mortar. Some countries also count rockets as ground suppression artillery. Anti-tank guns include anti-tank guns and recoilless guns.
According to the ballistic characteristics, artillery can be divided into cannon, howitzer and mortar.
According to the movement mode of artillery, ground suppression artillery, anti-tank artillery and anti-aircraft artillery can be divided into self-propelled artillery and towed artillery.
According to the structure of the gun bore, except for rocket launchers, anti-tank guns, mortars and tank guns, they can be divided into line-bore guns and smooth-bore guns, and all other guns are line-bore guns.