Artillery by Country 2024

Artillery use in warfare allows an attack on an enemy from a distance. When the enemy fires back with its artillery, the exchange is part of ground warfare.

Traditional artillery is still used in modern warfare along with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also called “drones.” The combination creates a lethal impact with increased efficiency. If a target can be found, it can be hit. Relentless bombing and mortar fire make it nearly impossible to do anything else but respond with the same. Positions become entrenched, and armies send volleys of artillery at each other day and night. Civilians are stuck in bomb shelters to avoid being killed.

The Usefulness of Artillery in Modern Warfare

• Artillery has four core uses in modern warfare, which are:
• Suppression of enemy fire (also called counter-battery fire)
• Striking high-value targets such as ammunition storage facilities

• Breaking up concentrations of enemy forces
• Providing cover support for strategic maneuvers

All land-based equipment, such as armored personnel carriers and tanks, are vulnerable to aerial attack. Aircraft can be targeted. Defensive systems, such as the “iron dome” technology, can use projectiles to block incoming artillery.

Artillery vs. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) that deploy groups of UAVs cannot deliver the same massive bombardments as artillery, capable of firing thousands of rounds per hour. Artillery is deployable in almost any weather conditions, while UAVs are not.

Artillery Types

Artillery is categorized by its intended use and the caliber, which is the diameter of the bore and the multiples of the bore that equal the length of the barrel. For example, a Panzer V tank gun is 75 mm L/70. The gun’s bore is 75 mm. The barrel length is 70 times the bore (70 x 75 mm = 5,250 mm).

Here are examples of artillery commonly used in modern warfare:

• M777 Howitzer - Caliber: 155 mm, Barrel Length: 39 calibers
• M109A6 Paladin - Caliber: 155 mm, Barrel Length: 39 calibers
• K9 Thunder - Caliber: 155 mm, Barrel Length: 52 calibers

• PzH 2000 - Caliber: 155 mm, Barrel Length: 52 calibers
• M198 Howitzer - Caliber: 155 mm, Barrel Length: 45 calibers
• D-30 Howitzer - Caliber: 122 mm, Barrel Length: 27 calibers

• M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) - Caliber: 227 mm rockets
• BM-21 Grad Rocket Launcher - Caliber: 122 mm rockets
• M224 Mortar - Caliber: 60 mm, Barrel Length: 930 mm (36.6 inches)

• M252 Mortar - Caliber: 81 mm, Barrel Length: 1,661 mm (65.4 inches)