Editing Cannon (section)

== Modern history ==

=== Early modern ===
[[Image:16th Century Artillerie.jpg|thumb|right|Various 16th-century artillery pieces, including [[culverin]], [[Falconet (cannon)|falconet]] and [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]]]

By the 16th century, cannons were made in a great variety of lengths and bore diameters, but the general rule was that the longer the barrel, the longer the range. Some cannons made during this time had barrels exceeding {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} in length, and could weigh up to {{convert|20000|lb|kg}}. Consequently, large amounts of gunpowder were needed to allow them to fire stone balls several hundred yards.<ref>{{cite book|last=Krebs|first=Robert E.|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2004|title=Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance|isbn=978-0-313-32433-8|page=270|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MTXdplfiz-cC|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=29 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529131821/http://books.google.com/books?id=MTXdplfiz-cC|url-status=live}}</ref> By mid-century, European monarchs began to classify cannons to reduce the confusion. [[Henry II of France]] opted for six sizes of cannon,<ref>The six sizes are, in order from largest to smallest: the cannon, great culverin, bastard culverin, "legitimate" culverin, falcon, and falconet.</ref> but others settled for more; the Spanish used twelve sizes, and the English sixteen. They are, from largest to smallest: the cannon royal, cannon, cannon serpentine, bastard cannon, demicannon, pedrero, culverin, basilisk, demiculverin, bastard culverin, saker, minion, falcon, falconet, serpentine, and rabinet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/source/is3/is3c.htm|title=NPS Interpretive Series: Artillery Through the Ages|website=National Park Service|access-date=5 October 2021|archive-date=5 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005211228/https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/source/is3/is3c.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tunis">{{cite book|last=Tunis|first=Edwin|title=Weapons: A Pictorial History|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|location=[[Baltimore]], Maryland|year=1999|isbn=978-0-8018-6229-8|page=89|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sCnyIzibmywC|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080021/https://books.google.com/books?id=sCnyIzibmywC|url-status=live}}</ref> Better powder had been developed by this time as well. Instead of the finely ground powder used by the first bombards, powder was replaced by a "corned" variety of coarse grains. This coarse powder had pockets of air between grains, allowing fire to travel through and ignite the entire charge quickly and uniformly.<ref>Tunis, p. 88.</ref>

The end of the Middle Ages saw the construction of larger, more powerful cannon, as well as their spread throughout the world. As they were not effective at breaching the newer fortifications resulting from the development of cannon, [[siege engine]]s—such as [[siege tower]]s and [[trebuchet]]s—became less widely used. However, wooden "battery-towers" took on a similar role as siege towers in the gunpowder age—such as that used at [[Siege of Kazan]] in 1552, which could hold ten large-calibre cannon, in addition to 50 lighter pieces.<ref name="Kazan">{{cite book|last=Nossov|first=Konstantin|pages=53–55|title=Russian Fortresses, 1480–1682|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|year=2006|isbn=978-1-84176-916-5}}</ref> Another notable effect of cannon on warfare during this period was the change in conventional fortifications. [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] wrote, "There is no wall, whatever its thickness that artillery will not destroy in only a few days."<ref name="The Art of War (Machiavelli)"/> Although castles were not immediately made obsolete by cannon, their use and importance on the battlefield rapidly declined.<ref name="Castles">{{cite book|last=Wilkinson|first=Philip|title=Castles|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]]|date=1997|isbn=978-0-7894-2047-3|page=81}}</ref> Instead of majestic [[tower]]s and [[merlon]]s, the walls of new fortresses were thick, angled, and sloped, while towers became low and stout; increasing use was also made of earth and brick in [[Breastwork (fortification)|breastworks]] and [[redoubt]]s. These new defences became known as [[bastion fort]]s, after their characteristic shape which attempted to force any advance towards it directly into the firing line of the guns.<ref name="Castles"/> A few of these featured [[Artillery battery|cannon batteries]], such as the [[House of Tudor]]'s [[Device Forts]] in England.<ref name="Castles"/> Bastion forts soon replaced castles in Europe and, eventually, those in the Americas as well.<ref name="SpanishMain">{{cite book|last=Chartrand|first=René|title=Spanish Main: 1492–1800|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-84603-005-5|year=2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cvcBWivXlekC}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

By the end of the 15th century, several technological advancements made cannons more mobile. Wheeled gun carriages and [[trunnion]]s became common, and the invention of the [[Limbers and caissons|limber]] further facilitated transportation.<ref name="Manucy, p. 5">Manucy, p. 5.</ref> As a result, field artillery became more viable and began to see more widespread use, often alongside the larger cannons intended for sieges.<ref name="Manucy, p. 5"/><ref name="Sadler">{{cite book |title=Flodden 1513: Scotland's Greatest Defeat |last=Sadler |first=John |isbn=978-1-84176-959-2 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |year=2006 |pages=22–23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXX1SrxKTg0C }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Better gunpowder, cast-iron projectiles (replacing stone), and the standardisation of calibres meant that even relatively light cannons could be deadly.<ref name="Manucy, p. 5"/> In ''[[The Art of War (Machiavelli)|The Art of War]]'', Niccolò Machiavelli observed that "It is true that the [[arquebus]]es and the small artillery do much more harm than the heavy artillery."<ref name="The Art of War (Machiavelli)">{{cite book|first=Niccolò|last=Machiavelli|title=The Art of War|isbn=978-0-226-50046-1|page=74|year=2005|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago}}</ref> This was the case at the [[Battle of Flodden]], in 1513: the English [[field gun]]s outfired the Scottish siege artillery, firing two or three times as many rounds.<ref>Sadler, p. 60.</ref> Despite the increased maneuverability, however, cannon were still the slowest component of the army: a heavy [[English cannon]] required 23 horses to transport, while a culverin needed nine. Even with this many animals pulling, they still moved at a walking pace. Due to their relatively slow speed, lack of organisation, and undeveloped tactics, the combination of [[pike and shot]] still dominated the battlefields of Europe.<ref>Manucy, p. 6.</ref>

Innovations continued, notably the German invention of the [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]], a thick-walled, short-barrelled gun that blasted shot upward at a steep angle. Mortars were useful for sieges, as they could hit targets behind walls or other defences.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9053839/mortar|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |title=Mortar|access-date=13 March 2008|archive-date=26 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226081438/https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9053839/mortar|url-status=live}}</ref> This cannon found more use with the Dutch, who learnt to shoot bombs filled with powder from them. Setting the bomb fuse was a problem. "Single firing" was first used to ignite the fuse, where the bomb was placed with the fuse down against the cannon's propellant. This often resulted in the fuse being blown into the bomb, causing it to blow up as it left the mortar. Because of this, "double firing" was tried where the gunner lit the fuse and then the touch hole. This required considerable skill and timing, and was especially dangerous if the gun misfired, leaving a lighted bomb in the barrel. Not until 1650 was it accidentally discovered that double-lighting was superfluous as the heat of firing would light the fuse.<ref>Tunis, p. 90.</ref>

[[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden]] emphasised the use of light cannon and mobility in his army, and created new formations and tactics that revolutionised artillery. He discontinued using all 12 pounder—or heavier—cannon as field artillery, preferring, instead, to use cannons that could be handled by only a few men. One obsolete type of gun, the "[[Leather cannon|leatheren]]", was replaced by 4 pounder and 9 pounder demi-culverins. These could be operated by three men, and pulled by only two horses. Gustavus Adolphus's army was also the first to use a cartridge that contained both powder and shot which sped up reloading, increasing the rate of fire.<ref>Manucy, pp. 7–8.</ref> Finally, against infantry he pioneered the use of [[canister shot]]—essentially a tin can filled with musket balls.<ref>Tunis, p. 96.</ref> Until then there was no more than one cannon for every thousand infantrymen on the battlefield but Gustavus Adolphus increased the number of cannons sixfold. Each regiment was assigned two pieces, though he often arranged them into batteries instead of distributing them piecemeal. He used these batteries to break his opponent's infantry line, while his cavalry would [[flanking maneuver|outflank]] their heavy guns.<ref>Manucy, p. 8.</ref>

At the [[Battle of Breitenfeld (1631)|Battle of Breitenfeld]], in 1631, Adolphus proved the effectiveness of the changes made to his army, by defeating [[Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly]]. Although severely outnumbered, the Swedes were able to fire between three and five times as many volleys of artillery, and their infantry's [[line (formation)|linear]] formations helped ensure they did not lose any ground. Battered by cannon fire, and low on morale, Tilly's men broke ranks and fled.<ref>{{cite book|first=Archer|last=Jones|title=The Art of War in the Western World|location=New York City|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|year=2001|isbn=978-0-252-06966-6|page=235|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2FRzcz2W0oC|access-date=21 September 2020|archive-date=3 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103163623/https://books.google.com/books?id=z2FRzcz2W0oC|url-status=live}}</ref>

In England, cannons were being used to besiege various fortified buildings during the [[English Civil War]]. [[Nathaniel Nye]] is recorded as testing a [[Birmingham]] cannon in 1643 and experimenting with a [[Saker (cannon)|saker]] in 1645.<ref name="Porter 2008">{{Harvard citation no brackets|Porter|2008}}</ref> From 1645 he was the master gunner to the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] garrison at [[Evesham]] and in 1646 he successfully directed the artillery at the [[Siege of Worcester (1646)|Siege of Worcester]], detailing his experiences and in his 1647 book ''The Art of Gunnery''.<ref name="Porter 2008"/> Believing that war was as much a science as an art,<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Donagan|2008|loc=fig 8}}</ref> his explanations focused on [[triangulation]], [[arithmetic]], theoretical mathematics,<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Donagan|2008|p=84}}</ref> and [[cartography]]<ref name="Porter 2008"/> as well as practical considerations such as the ideal specification for gunpowder or [[slow match]]es.<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Donagan|2008|p=85}}</ref> His book acknowledged mathematicians such as [[Robert Recorde]] and [[Marcus Jordanus]] as well as earlier military writers on artillery such as [[Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia]] and Thomas (or Francis<ref name="Hodgkin">{{cite book|last=Hodgkin|first=John|title=Rarioria |volume=III: 'Books on Fireworks'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pAQDAAAAYAAJ|year=1902|page=15|publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Limited|access-date=21 September 2020|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080048/https://books.google.com/books?id=pAQDAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>) Malthus (author of ''A Treatise on Artificial Fire-Works''<ref name="Malthus">{{cite book|last=Malthus|title=A Treatise on Artificial Fire-Works|url=http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=eebo;idno=A06780.0001.001|year=1629|publisher=W. Jones for Richard Hawkins|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=21 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221213953/http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=eebo;idno=A06780.0001.001|url-status=live}}</ref>).<ref name="Porter 2008"/>

Around this time also came the idea of aiming the cannon to hit a target. Gunners controlled the range of their cannons by measuring the angle of elevation, using a "gunner's quadrant". Cannons did not have [[Sight (device)|sights]]; therefore, even with measuring tools, aiming was still largely guesswork.<ref>Tunis, p. 97.</ref>

In the latter half of the 17th century, the French engineer [[Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban]] introduced a more systematic and scientific approach to attacking gunpowder fortresses, in a time when many field commanders "were notorious dunces in siegecraft".<ref name="Griffith">{{cite book|last=Griffith|first=Paddy|title=The Vauban Fortifications of France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eH1NtNGWQZ8C|year=2006|page=5|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-84176-875-5}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Careful [[sapping]] forward, supported by [[Enfilade and defilade|enfilading]] [[ricochet]]s, was a key feature of this system, and it even allowed Vauban to calculate the length of time a siege would take.<ref name="Griffith"/> He was also a prolific builder of bastion forts, and did much to popularize the idea of "depth in defence" in the face of cannon.<ref>Griffith, p. 29</ref> These principles were followed into the mid-19th century, when changes in armaments necessitated greater depth defence than Vauban had provided for. It was only in the years prior to [[World War I]] that new works began to break radically away from his designs.<ref>Griffith, pp. 56–57.</ref>

<gallery>
Image:TheTsarCannonJuly2004.jpg | The [[Tsar Cannon]], the largest [[howitzer]] ever made, cast by [[Andrey Chokhov]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Guinness Rekordbok|year=1996|isbn=978-91-37-10723-3|page=204|language=sv|author=översättning och bearbetning: Folke Günther&nbsp;... |publisher=Forum|location=Stockholm}}</ref>
Image:Youghal Battery.JPG | Remains of a post-medieval [[artillery battery|cannon battery]], mounted on a medieval [[Defensive wall|town wall]], although without carriages.
File:Fotothek df tg 0000132 Ballistik ^ Quadrant ^ Kanone.jpg | Contemporary illustration on how a cannon could be used with the aid of [[Quadrant (instrument)|quadrants]] for improved precision.
File:Sixteenth Century Cannon2.jpg | The use of [[gabion]]s with cannon was an important part in the attack and defence of fortifications.
Image:Fortbourtange.jpg | [[Fort Bourtange]], a [[bastion fort]], was built with angles and sloped walls specifically to defend against cannon.
</gallery>

=== 18th and 19th centuries ===
{{see also|Naval artillery in the Age of Sail|Field artillery in the American Civil War|Siege artillery in the American Civil War}}
[[Image:Antoine Morel-Fatio pl10.jpg|thumb|[[36-pounder long gun]] at the ready]]

The lower tier of 17th-century English [[ship of the line|ships of the line]] were usually equipped with demi-cannons, guns that fired a {{convert|32|lb|kg|adj=mid}} solid shot, and could weigh up to {{convert|3400|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stone|first=George Cameron| author-link = George Cameron Stone| title=A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times|year=1999|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|isbn=978-0-486-40726-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J5PgapzD6FoC|page=162}}</ref> Demi-cannons were capable of firing these heavy metal balls with such force that they could penetrate more than a metre of solid oak, from a distance of {{convert|90|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and could dismast even the largest ships at close range.<ref>{{cite book|first=Byron|last=Heath|title=Discovering the Great South Land|year=2005|publisher=Rosenberg Publishing|location=[[Kenthurst, New South Wales|Kenthurst]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yOWLaNm6c7sC&q=demi-cannon+solid+oak&pg=PA127|page=127|isbn=978-1-877058-31-8|access-date=7 November 2020|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080040/https://books.google.com/books?id=yOWLaNm6c7sC&q=demi-cannon+solid+oak&pg=PA127|url-status=live}}</ref> Full cannon fired a {{convert|42|lb|adj=mid}} shot, but were discontinued by the 18th century, as they were too unwieldy. By the end of the 18th century, principles long adopted in Europe specified the characteristics of the [[Royal Navy]]'s cannon, as well as the acceptable defects, and their severity. The [[United States Navy]] tested guns by measuring them, firing them two or three times—termed "proof by powder"—and using [[hydrostatic test|pressurized water to detect leaks]].<ref name="NavyBarbaryI">{{cite book|last=Knox|first=Dudley W.|title=Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers, Volume I|year=1939|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]]}}</ref>

The [[carronade]] was adopted by the Royal Navy in 1779; the lower muzzle velocity of the round shot when fired from this cannon was intended to create more wooden splinters when hitting the structure of an enemy vessel, as they were believed to be more deadly than the ball by itself.<ref name="Carronade">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dS4yZLvS0soC|title=Siege Train: The Journal of a Confederate Artilleryman in the Defense of Charleston|year= 1996|publisher=[[University of South Carolina Press]]|location=Charleston|last= Manigault|first=Edward|author2=Warren Ripley|page=83|isbn=978-1-57003-127-4|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080034/https://books.google.com/books?id=dS4yZLvS0soC|url-status=live}}</ref> The carronade was much shorter, and weighed between a third to a quarter of the equivalent [[long gun]]; for example, a 32-pounder carronade weighed less than a [[ton]], compared with a 32-pounder long gun, which weighed over {{convert|3|t|abbr=on}}. The guns were, therefore, easier to handle, and also required less than half as much gunpowder, allowing fewer men to crew them.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycarronade.htm|title=The Historical Maritime Society|access-date=26 May 2008 |publisher=The Historical Maritime Society|year= 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516191537/http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycarronade.htm <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=16 May 2008}}</ref> Carronades were manufactured in the usual [[naval artillery|naval gun]] [[Caliber|calibre]]s,<ref>Twelve-, 18-, 24-, 32-, and 42-[[pound (mass)#Imperial Standard Pound|pounders]], but 6-pounder and 68-pounder versions are known.</ref> but were not counted in a ship of the line's rated number of guns. As a result, the classification of Royal Navy vessels in this period can be misleading, as they often carried more cannons than were listed.

[[Image:William Simpson, A Hot Night in the Batteries.jpg|thumb|right|Illustration by [[William Simpson (Scottish artist)|William Simpson]] shows action in a British artillery battery during the [[Crimean War]] with cannon firing and being loaded and men bringing in supplies.]]

Cannons were crucial in [[Napoleon]]'s rise to power, and continued to play an important role in his army in later years.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WPkgXITA09EC|page=12|title=The Age of Napoleon|last=Conner|first=Susan P.|year=2004|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=978-0-313-32014-9|access-date=26 May 2008|archive-date=10 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510172903/https://books.google.com/books?id=WPkgXITA09EC|url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[French Revolution]], the unpopularity of the [[French Directory|Directory]] led to riots and rebellions. When over 25,000 royalists led by General Danican assaulted Paris, [[Paul Barras]] was appointed to defend the capital; outnumbered five to one and disorganised, the Republicans were desperate.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UqkSyhUcZ0kC|title=The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte|last=Asprey|first=Robert B.|year=2000|publisher=[[Basic Books]]|isbn=978-0-465-04881-6|page=111|access-date=26 May 2008|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126091315/https://books.google.com/books?id=UqkSyhUcZ0kC|url-status=live}}</ref> When Napoleon arrived, he reorganised the defences but realised that without cannons the city could not be held. He ordered [[Joachim Murat]] to bring the guns from the Sablons artillery park; the Major and his cavalry fought their way to the recently captured cannons, and brought them back to Napoleon. When Danican's poorly trained men attacked, on [[13 Vendémiaire]] 1795 (5 October in the [[Vendémiaire|calendar used in France]] at the time), Napoleon ordered his cannon to fire grapeshot into the mob,<ref name="Asprey, pp. 112–113.">Asprey, pp. 112–113.</ref> an act that became known as the "[[13 Vendémiaire#A whiff of grapeshot|whiff of grapeshot]]".<ref>Conner, p. 13.</ref> The slaughter effectively ended the threat to the new government, while, at the same time, making Bonaparte a famous—and popular—public figure.<ref name="Asprey, pp. 112–113."/><ref>Conner, pp. 12–13.</ref> Among the first generals to recognise that artillery was not being used to its full potential, Napoleon often massed his cannon into batteries and introduced several changes into the French artillery, improving it significantly and making it among the finest in Europe.<ref name="Baynes, p. 669.">Baynes, p. 669.</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Waterloo Campaign: June 1815|page=123|access-date=26 May 2008|last=Nofi|first=Albert A.|author-link=Albert Nofi|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|isbn=978-0-938289-98-2|year=1998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPFtsn-nRTwC}}</ref> Such tactics were successfully used by the French, for example, at the [[Battle of Friedland]], when 66 guns fired a total of 3,000 [[roundshot]] and 500 rounds of grapeshot,<ref name="Baynes, p. 669."/><ref>{{cite book|title=The Pictorial History of England During the Reign of George the Third: Being a History of the People, as well as a History of the Kingdom, volume 2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A-0GAAAAYAAJ|last=Craik|first=George L.|author-link=George Lillie Craik|year=1884|location=London|publisher=[[Charles Knight (publisher)|Charles Knight]]|author2=Charles MacFarlane|page=295|access-date=26 May 2008|author2-link=Charles MacFarlane|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080029/https://books.google.com/books?id=A-0GAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> inflicting severe casualties to the Russian forces, whose losses numbered over 20,000 killed and wounded, in total.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chandler|first=David G.|title=The Campaigns of Napoleon|location=New York |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|year=1995|isbn=978-0-02-523660-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/campaignsofnapol00chan/page/582 582]|url=https://archive.org/details/campaignsofnapol00chan/page/582}}</ref> At the [[Battle of Waterloo]]—Napoleon's final battle—the French army had many more artillery pieces than either the [[British Empire|British]] or [[Prussia]]ns. As the battlefield was muddy, [[recoil]] caused cannons to bury themselves into the ground after firing, resulting in slow rates of fire, as more effort was required to move them back into an adequate firing position;<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4tTYCLqjwj8C|title=The Waterloo Companion|last=Adkin|first=Mark|publisher=Stackpole Books|year=2002|access-date=26 May 2008|page=283|isbn=978-0-8117-1854-7}}</ref> also, roundshot did not [[ricochet]] with as much force from the wet earth.<ref>{{cite book|title=Napoleon's Artillery|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W7ngGaRS6nkC|page=32|last=Wilkinson-Latham|first=Robert|publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]]|year=1975|location=France|isbn=978-0-85045-247-1|access-date=26 May 2008}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Despite the drawbacks, sustained artillery fire proved deadly during the engagement, especially during the [[Battle of Waterloo#The French cavalry attack|French cavalry attack]].<ref>Wilkinson-Latham, p. 36.</ref> The British infantry, having formed [[infantry square]]s, took heavy losses from the French guns, while their own cannons fired at the [[cuirassier]]s and [[lancer]]s, when they fell back to regroup. Eventually, the French ceased their assault, after taking heavy losses from the British cannon and musket fire.<ref>Nofi, pp. 115–116.</ref>

In the 1810s and 1820s, greater emphasis was placed on the accuracy of long-range gunfire, and less on the weight of a broadside. Around 1822, [[George Marshall (gunner)|George Marshall]] wrote ''Marshall's Practical Marine Gunnery''. The book was used by cannon operators in the United States Navy throughout the 19th century. It listed all the types of cannons and instructions.<ref>{{cite book |last= Marshall |first= George |author-link=  |date= 1822 |title= Marshall's Practical Marine Gunnery |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=lHcNBLcgVSQC&q=Marshall%27s+Practical+Marine+Gunnery |location= Norfolk, Virginia |publisher= C. Hall |page= 1 |isbn=  |access-date= 4 April 2021 |archive-date= 20 October 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080026/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Marshall_s_Practical_Marine_Gunnery/lHcNBLcgVSQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Marshall%27s+Practical+Marine+Gunnery&printsec=frontcover |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[Image:ChancellorsvilleBattlefieldModern.jpg|thumb|A 3-inch [[Parrott rifle]] from the [[Battle of Chancellorsville]]]]

The carronade, although initially very successful and widely adopted, disappeared from the Royal Navy in the 1850s after the development of wrought-iron-jacketed steel cannon by [[William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong|William Armstrong]] and [[Joseph Whitworth]]. Nevertheless, carronades were used in the American Civil War.<ref name="Carronade"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycarronade.htm|title=Carronade|access-date=6 March 2008|publisher=The Historical Maritime Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102235759/http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycarronade.htm <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=2 January 2008}}</ref>

Western cannons during the 19th century became larger, more destructive, more accurate, and could fire at longer range. One example is the American {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=mid}} wrought-iron, muzzle-loading rifle, or [[Griffen gun]] (usually called the 3-inch Ordnance Rifle), used during the [[American Civil War]], which had an effective range of over {{convert|1.1|mi|km|abbr=on}}. Another is the smoothbore [[Canon obusier de 12|12-pounder Napoleon]], which originated in France in 1853 and was widely used by both sides in the American Civil War. This cannon was renowned for its sturdiness, reliability, firepower, flexibility, relatively lightweight, and range of {{convert|1700|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hazlett|first=James C.|author2=Edwin Olmstead |author3=M. Hume Parks |title=Field Artillery Weapons of the American Civil War|edition=5th|publisher=[[University of Illinois Press]]|location=[[Champaign, Illinois]]|year=2004|isbn=978-0-252-07210-9|pages=88–108|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twcQGSi1F7QC}}</ref>

[[File:Sagahan Armstrong gun used at the Battle of Ueno against the Shogitai 1868.jpg|thumb|Armstrong gun deployed by Japan during the [[Boshin war]] (1868–69).]]
[[File:De Bange 90 mm Mikkeli.JPG|thumb|The 1870s [[de Bange 90 mm cannon]] on the yard of Eastern Finland military office in [[Mikkeli]], [[South Savonia]], Finland]]

The practice of [[rifling]]—casting spiralling lines inside the cannon's barrel—was applied to artillery more frequently by 1855, as it gave cannon projectiles [[Gyroscope|gyroscopic]] stability, which improved their accuracy. One of the earliest rifled cannons was the [[breech-loading weapon|breech-loading]] [[Armstrong Gun]]—also invented by William Armstrong—which boasted significantly improved range, accuracy, and power than earlier weapons. The projectile fired from the Armstrong gun could reportedly pierce through a ship's side and explode inside the enemy vessel, causing increased damage and casualties.<ref>{{cite book|title=All the Year Round: A Weekly Journal|access-date=26 May 2008|date=1859|last=Dickens|first=Charles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-4RAAAAYAAJ|pages=373|publisher=Charles Dickens|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080025/https://books.google.com/books?id=o-4RAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The British military adopted the Armstrong gun, and was impressed; [[Prince George, Duke of Cambridge|the Duke of Cambridge]] even declared that it "could do everything but speak".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ybDCEqsWrUC|page=59|title=Arms and the State: Sir William Armstrong and the Remaking of British Naval Power, 1854–1914|last=Bastable|first=Marshall J.|year=2004|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-3404-1|access-date=26 May 2008|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080036/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ybDCEqsWrUC|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite being significantly more advanced than its predecessors, the Armstrong gun was rejected soon after its integration, in favour of the muzzle-loading pieces that had been in use before.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruffell|first=W. L.|title=The Gun – Rifled Ordnance: Whitworth|work=The Gun|url=http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/gun/rifled2.htm|access-date=6 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213152724/http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/gun/rifled2.htm|archive-date=13 February 2008}}</ref> While both types of gun were effective against wooden ships, neither had the capability to pierce the armour of [[ironclad warship|ironclads]]; due to reports of slight problems with the breeches of the Armstrong gun, and their higher cost, the older muzzle-loaders were selected to remain in service instead.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ybDCEqsWrUC|page=94|title=Arms and the State: Sir William Armstrong and the Remaking of British Naval Power, 1854–1914|last=Bastable|first=Marshall J.|year=2004|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-3404-1|access-date=26 May 2008|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080031/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ybDCEqsWrUC|url-status=live}}</ref> Realising that iron was more difficult to pierce with breech-loaded cannons, Armstrong designed rifled muzzle-loading guns,<ref>Bastable, p. 72.</ref> which proved successful; ''[[The Times]]'' reported: "even the fondest believers in the invulnerability of our present ironclads were obliged to confess that against such artillery, at such ranges, their plates and sides were almost as penetrable as wooden ships."<ref>Bastable, p. 73.</ref>

The superior cannon of the Western world brought them tremendous advantages in warfare. For example, in the [[First Opium War]] in China, during the 19th century, British battleships bombarded the coastal areas and fortifications from afar, safe from the reach of the Chinese cannons. Similarly, the shortest war in recorded history, the [[Anglo-Zanzibar War]] of 1896, was brought to a swift conclusion by shelling from British cruisers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Young|first=Mark C.|title=Guinness Book of World Records |edition=2002|page=112|publisher=[[Bantam Books]]|isbn=978-0-553-58378-6|year=2002}}</ref> The cynical attitude towards recruited infantry in the face of ever more powerful field artillery is the source of the term ''[[cannon fodder]]'', first used by [[François-René de Chateaubriand]], in 1814;<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [[:wikisource:fr:De Buonaparte et des Bourbons|"De Buonaparte et des Bourbons"]] – full text in the French [[Wikisource]].</ref> however, the concept of regarding soldiers as nothing more than "food for powder" was mentioned by [[William Shakespeare]] as early as 1598, in ''[[Henry IV, Part 1]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shakespeare|first=William|title=Henry IV, Part 1|year=1598}} Act 4, Scene 2, lines 65–67.</ref>

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Bundesarchiv DVM 10 Bild-23-61-35, Vergleich Geschützanzahl 1888-1913.jpg|thumb|Comparison of 1888 and 1913 German cannon]]
Cannons in the 20th and 21st centuries are usually divided into sub-categories and given separate names. Some of the most widely used types of modern cannon are howitzers, mortars, guns, and autocannon, although a few very [[large-calibre artillery|large-calibre cannon]], custom-designed, have also been constructed. [[Nuclear artillery]] was experimented with, but was abandoned as impractical.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nuclear artillery|url=http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/films/film.aspx?ID=1|access-date=26 May 2008|publisher=[[United States Department of Energy]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080507020233/http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/films/film.aspx?ID=1|archive-date=7 May 2008}}</ref> Modern artillery is used in a variety of roles, depending on its type. According to [[NATO]], the general role of artillery is to provide fire support, which is defined as "the application of fire, coordinated with the manoeuvre of forces to destroy, neutralize, or suppress the enemy".<ref>{{cite book|title=AAP-6 NATO Glossary of Terms and Definitions|year=2007|publisher=[[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]]|access-date=26 May 2008|url=http://www.nato.int/docu/stanag/aap006/aap-6-2007.pdf|page=113|archive-date=14 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514133410/http://www.nato.int/docu/stanag/aap006/aap-6-2007.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

When referring to cannons, the term ''gun'' is often used incorrectly. In military usage, a gun is a cannon with a high muzzle velocity and a [[indirect fire|flat trajectory]], useful for hitting the sides of targets such as walls,<ref name = "mutuur"/> as opposed to howitzers or mortars, which have lower muzzle velocities, and fire indirectly, lobbing shells up and over obstacles to hit the target from above.<ref>{{cite dictionary|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Howitzer|title=howitzer|access-date=26 May 2008|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster's Dictionary]]|archive-date=21 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421200515/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/howitzer|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite dictionary|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mortar|title=mortar|access-date=26 May 2008|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster's Dictionary]]|archive-date=4 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904220612/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortar|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:British 39th Siege Battery RGA Somme 1916.jpg|thumb|[[Royal Artillery]] [[howitzer]]s at the [[First day on the Somme|Battle of the Somme]]]]

By the early 20th century, [[infantry weapon]]s had become more powerful, forcing most artillery away from the front lines. Despite the change to [[indirect fire]], cannons proved highly effective during [[World War I]], directly or indirectly causing over 75% of casualties.<ref>Manucy, p. 20.</ref> The onset of [[trench warfare]] after the first few months of World War I greatly increased the demand for howitzers, as they were more suited to hitting targets in trenches. Furthermore, their shells carried more explosives than those of guns, and caused considerably less barrel wear. The German army had the advantage here as they began the war with many more howitzers than the French.<ref>{{cite book|first=Bruce I.|last=Gudmundsson|title=On Artillery|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|isbn=978-0-275-94047-8|year=1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O_-0w2WUDd0C|page=43|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080028/https://books.google.com/books?id=O_-0w2WUDd0C|url-status=live}}</ref> World War I also saw the use of the [[Paris Gun]], the longest-ranged gun ever fired. This {{convert|200|mm|in|0|adj=on|abbr=on}} calibre gun was used by the Germans against Paris and could hit targets more than {{convert|122|km|mi|abbr=on}} away.<ref>Young, p. 113.</ref>

The Second World War sparked new developments in cannon technology. Among them were [[sabot (firearms)|sabot rounds]], hollow-charge projectiles, and [[proximity fuse]]s, all of which increased the effectiveness of cannon against specific targets.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCamley|first=Nicholas J.|title=Disasters Underground|publisher=Pen & Sword Military|year=2004|isbn=978-1-84415-022-9}}</ref> The proximity fuse emerged on the battlefields of Europe in late December 1944.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq96-1.htm |title=Radio Proximity (VT) Fuzes |access-date=26 May 2008 |date=20 March 2000 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209105150/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq96-1.htm |archive-date=9 February 2014 }}</ref> Used to great effect in [[anti-aircraft]] projectiles, proximity fuses were fielded in both the [[European Theater of Operations|European]] and [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific]] Theatres of Operations; they were particularly useful against [[V-1 flying bomb]]s and [[kamikaze]] planes. Although widely used in naval warfare, and in anti-air guns, both the British and Americans feared unexploded proximity fuses would be reverse engineered, leading to them limiting their use in continental battles. During the [[Battle of the Bulge]], however, the fuses became known as the American artillery's "Christmas present" for the German army because of their effectiveness against German personnel in the open, when they frequently dispersed attacks.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|title=Variable Time Fuse Contributed to the Victory of United Nations|year=2007|access-date=5 October 2007|url=http://scienceservice.si.edu/pages/102001.htm|archive-date=13 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013124547/http://scienceservice.si.edu/pages/102001.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Anti-tank gun]]s were also tremendously improved during the war: in 1939, the British used primarily [[Ordnance QF 2 pounder|2 pounder]] and [[Ordnance QF 6 pounder|6 pounder]] guns. By the end of the war, [[Ordnance QF 17 pounder|17 pounders]] had proven much more effective against German tanks, and 32 pounders had entered development.<ref name="Anti-tank guns">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4IYXxrcx1_0C|title=World War II: A Visual Encyclopedia|last=Keegan|first=John|publisher=Sterling|year=2000|isbn=978-1-85585-878-7|page=29}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avalanchepress.com/BritainsAntiTankGuns.php|title=British Anti-Tank Guns|publisher=[[Avalanche Press]]|last=Rahman|first=Jason|date=November 2007|access-date=26 May 2008|archive-date=13 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513024413/http://www.avalanchepress.com/BritainsAntiTankGuns.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Meanwhile, German tanks were continuously upgraded with better [[tank gun|main guns]], in addition to other improvements. For example, the [[Panzer III]] was originally designed with a 37&nbsp;mm gun, but was [[mass production|mass-produced]] with a 50&nbsp;mm cannon.<ref name="German Tanks of World War II in Color">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DZwQkZr0VrQC|title=German Tanks of World War II in Color|access-date=26 May 2008|year=2000|publisher=Zenith Imprint|page=46|last=Green|first=Michael|author2=Thomas Anderson|author3=Frank Schulz|isbn=978-0-7603-0671-0|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080025/https://books.google.com/books?id=DZwQkZr0VrQC|url-status=live}}</ref> To counter the threat of the Russian [[T-34]]s, another, more powerful 50&nbsp;mm gun was introduced,<ref name="German Tanks of World War II in Color"/> only to give way to a larger 75&nbsp;mm cannon, which was in a fixed mount as the [[Sturmgeschütz III|StuG III]], the most-produced German World War II armoured fighting vehicle of any type.<ref>Green, p. 47.</ref> Despite the improved guns, production of the Panzer III was ended in 1943, as the tank still could not match the T-34, and was replaced by the [[Panzer IV]] and [[Panther tank]]s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xa6HLAhSzBAC|title=Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2000|last=Zetterling|first=Niklas|author2=Anders Frankson|isbn=978-0-7146-5052-4|page=63|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080022/https://books.google.com/books?id=Xa6HLAhSzBAC|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1944, the [[8.8 cm KwK 43|8.8&nbsp;cm KwK 43]] and many variations, entered service with the [[Wehrmacht]], and was used as both a tank main gun, and as the [[PaK 43]] anti-tank gun.<ref>{{cite book|title=German Early War Armored Fighting Vehicles|last=Bradford|first=George|year=2007|publisher=Stackpole Books|location=[[Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania]]|page=3|isbn=978-0-8117-3341-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Mediterranean and Middle East|last=Playfair|first=Ian S. O.|author2=T. P. Gleave|publisher=[[HMSO]]|isbn=978-0-11-630946-4|page=257|year=1987}}</ref> One of the most powerful guns to see service in World War II, it was capable of destroying any [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] tank at very long ranges.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwqhCwNAjSYC|access-date=26 May 2008|title=Panzerkrieg: The Rise and Fall of Hitler's Tank Divisions|last=McCarthy|first=Peter|author2=Mike Syron|year=2003|publisher=[[Carroll & Graf Publishers]]|page=239|isbn=978-0-7867-1264-9|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080029/https://books.google.com/books?id=LwqhCwNAjSYC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-PXQYVjbp6MC|title=Tank Tactics: From Normandy to Lorraine|access-date=26 May 2008|page=115|last=Jarymowycz|first=Roman Johann|year=2001|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|isbn=978-1-55587-950-1|archive-date=20 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020080038/https://books.google.com/books?id=-PXQYVjbp6MC|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Uss iowa bb-61 pr.jpg|thumb|right|{{USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}} firing her {{convert|16|in|cm|0|abbr=on}} guns]]
Despite being designed to fire at trajectories with a steep angle of descent, howitzers can be fired [[direct fire|directly]], as was done by the [[11th Marine Regiment#Korean War|11th Marine Regiment]] at the [[Battle of Chosin Reservoir]], during the [[Korean War]]. Two [[Artillery battery#Modern battery organization|field batteries]] fired directly upon a [[battalion]] of Chinese infantry; the Marines were forced to brace themselves against their howitzers, as they had no time to dig them in. The Chinese infantry took heavy casualties, and were forced to retreat.<ref>{{cite book|last=Russ|first=Martin|year=1999|title=Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950|pages=383–384|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=978-0-14-029259-6}}</ref>

The tendency to create larger calibre cannons during the World Wars has reversed since. The [[United States Army]], for example, sought a lighter, more versatile howitzer, to replace their aging pieces. As it could be towed, the M198 was selected to be the successor to the World War II–era cannons used at the time, and entered service in 1979.<ref name="M198 Info">{{cite web|url=http://tech.military.com/equipment/view/146534/m198-155mm-towed-howitzer.html|title=M198 information|access-date=26 May 2008|publisher=Military.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605002819/http://tech.military.com/equipment/view/146534/m198-155mm-towed-howitzer.html|archive-date=5 June 2008}}</ref> Still in use today, the M198 is, in turn, being slowly replaced by the [[M777 howitzer|M777]] Ultralightweight howitzer, which weighs nearly half as much and can be more easily moved. Although land-based artillery such as the M198 are powerful, long-ranged, and accurate, naval guns have not been neglected, despite being much smaller than in the past, and, in some cases, having been replaced by [[cruise missile]]s.<ref name="Cruise missile">{{cite web|url= http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2001/Mar/Naval_Guns.htm|title=Affordable precision| work = National Defense Magazine|access-date=26 May 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061008233620/http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2001/Mar/Naval_Guns.htm |archive-date = 8 October 2006}}</ref> However, the {{sclass|Zumwalt|destroyer|1}}'s planned armament included the [[Advanced Gun System]] (AGS), a pair of 155&nbsp;mm guns, which fire the [[Long Range Land-Attack Projectile]]. The warhead, which weighed {{convert |24|lb|kg}}, had a [[Circular error probable|circular error of probability]] of {{convert|50|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and was mounted on a rocket, to increase the effective range to {{convert|100|nmi|km|abbr=on}}, further than that of the Paris Gun. The AGS's barrels would be water-cooled, and fire 10 rounds per minute, per gun.  The combined firepower from both turrets would give a ''Zumwalt''-class destroyer the firepower equivalent to 12 conventional M198 howitzers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lacch |first1=Franco |title=Scandalo Zumwalt: cancellata la torretta da 155 millimetri, un singolo proiettile costa 800 mila dollari |url=https://www.difesaonline.it/mondo-militare/scandalo-zumwalt-cancellata-la-torretta-da-155-millimetri-un-singolo-proiettile-costa |website=Difesa Online |access-date=17 September 2023 |language=it |date=7 November 2016}}</ref> The reason for the re-integration of cannons as a main armament in United States Navy ships was because satellite-guided munitions fired from a gun would be less expensive than a cruise missile but have a similar guidance capability.<ref name="Cruise missile"/>

====Autocannon====
{{Main|Autocannon}}
[[File:USSVixenMaximMachineGun.1898.ws.jpg|thumb|right|A large bore Maxim on {{USS|Vixen|PY-4|6}} c. 1898]]

Autocannons have an automatic firing mode, similar to that of a machine gun. They have mechanisms to automatically load their ammunition, and therefore have a higher rate of fire than artillery, often approaching, or, in the case of [[rotary cannon|rotary autocannons]], even surpassing the firing rate of a machine gun.<ref name="Autocannon Rate of Fire"/> While there is no minimum bore for autocannons, they are generally larger than machine guns, typically {{convert|20|mm|abbr=on}} or greater since World War II and are usually capable of using explosive ammunition even if it is not always used. Machine guns in contrast are usually too small to use explosive ammunition;<ref name= "dictionary definition">{{Cite dictionary |title=cannon |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannon |dictionary=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |publisher=Merriam Webster |archive-date=20 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920111236/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannon |url-status=live |access-date=17 September 2011}}</ref> such ammunition is additionally banned in international conflict for the parties to the [[Saint Petersburg Declaration of 1868]].

Most nations use rapid-fire cannon on light vehicles, replacing a more powerful, but heavier, tank gun. A typical autocannon is the [[25 mm caliber|25&nbsp;mm]] "[[M242 Bushmaster|Bushmaster]]" [[chain gun]], mounted on the [[LAV-25]] and [[M2 Bradley]] [[Infantry fighting vehicle|armoured vehicles]]. Autocannons may be capable of a very high rate of fire, but ammunition is heavy and bulky, limiting the amount carried. For this reason, both the 25&nbsp;mm Bushmaster and the 30&nbsp;mm [[RARDEN]] are deliberately designed with relatively low rates of fire. The typical rate of fire for a modern autocannon ranges from 90 to 1,800 rounds per minute. Systems with multiple barrels, such as a rotary autocannon, can have rates of fire of several thousand rounds per minute. The fastest of these is the [[Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23|GSh-6-23]], which has a rate of fire of over 10,000&nbsp;rounds per minute.<ref name="Autocannon Rate of Fire">{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Anthony G. |year=2000 |title=Rapid Fire: The Development of Automatic Cannon, Heavy Machine Guns and Their Ammunition for Armies, Navies and Air Forces |location=Shrewsbury, UK |publisher=Airlife |page=241 |isbn=978-1-84037-435-3 |oclc=50940059}}</ref>

Autocannons are often found in aircraft, where they replaced machine guns and as shipboard anti-aircraft weapons, as they provide greater destructive power than machine guns.<ref name="Aircraft Cannon"/>

====Aircraft use====
{{main|Aircraft artillery}}

The first documented installation of a cannon firing [[explosive shell]]s on an aircraft was on the Voisin Canon in 1911, displayed at the Paris Exposition that year. By World War I, all of the major powers were experimenting with aircraft-mounted cannons; however, their low rate of fire and great size and weight precluded any of them from being anything other than experimental. The most successful (or least unsuccessful) was the SPAD 12 Ca.1 with a single 37&nbsp;mm Puteaux mounted to fire between the cylinder banks and through the propeller boss of the aircraft's Hispano-Suiza 8C. The pilot (by necessity an ace) had to manually reload each round.<ref name="Early Aircraft Armament">{{cite book | last = Woodman | first = Harry | author-link = Harry Woodman | title = Early Aircraft Armament – The Aircraft and the Gun up to 1918 | publisher = [[Arms and Armour Press]] | year = 1989 | isbn = 978-0-85368-990-4}}</ref>

The first autocannon were developed during World War I as anti-aircraft guns, and one of these, the [[Coventry Ordnance Works]] "[[COW 37 mm gun]]", was installed in an aircraft. However, the war ended before it could be given a field trial, and it never became standard equipment in a production aircraft. Later trials had it fixed at a steep angle upwards in both the [[Vickers Type 161]] and the [[Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighter]], an idea that would return later.

During this period autocannons became available and several fighters of the German {{lang|de|[[Luftwaffe]]}} and the [[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]] were fitted with 20&nbsp;mm cannons. They continued to be installed as an adjunct to machine guns rather than as a replacement, as the rate of fire was still too low and the complete installation too heavy. There was a some debate in the RAF as to whether the greater number of possible rounds being fired from a machine gun, or a smaller number of explosive rounds from a cannon was preferable. Improvements during the war in regards to rate of fire allowed the cannon to displace the machine gun almost entirely.<ref name="Aircraft Cannon"/> The cannon was more effective against armour so they were increasingly used during the course of World War II, and newer fighters such as the [[Hawker Tempest]] usually carried two or four instead of the six [[M2 Browning|.50 Browning machine guns]] for US aircraft or eight to twelve [[M1919 Browning machine gun]]s on earlier British aircraft. The [[Hispano-Suiza HS.404]], [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon 20&nbsp;mm cannon]], [[MG FF cannon|MG FF]], and their numerous variants became among the most widely used autocannon in the war. Cannons, as with machine guns, were either fixed to fire forwards (mounted in the wings, in the nose or fuselage, or in a [[pannier]] under either), or mounted in [[gun turret]]s on heavier aircraft. Both the Germans and Japanese mounted cannons to fire upwards and forwards for use against heavy bombers, with the Germans calling guns so-installed {{lang|de|[[Schräge Musik]]}}, derived from a German colloquialism for jazz music—{{lang|de|schräg}} means "off-key".

Preceding the [[Vietnam War]] the high speeds aircraft were attaining and availability of missiles led to a move to omit cannon due to the belief that they would be useless in a [[dogfight]], but combat experience during the Vietnam War showed conclusively that, despite advances in missiles, there was still a need for cannon. Nearly all modern [[fighter aircraft]] are armed with an autocannon, and they are also commonly found on [[ground-attack aircraft]]. One of the most powerful examples is the 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling-type rotary cannon mounted on the [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II]].<ref name="Aircraft Cannon" /><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.442fw.afrc.af.mil/News/story/id/123055695/ |title=GAU-8/A |publisher=442nd Fighter Wing |access-date=26 May 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110719063934/http://www.442fw.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123055695 |archive-date=19 July 2011 }}</ref> The [[Lockheed AC-130]] gunship (a converted transport) can carry a 105&nbsp;mm howitzer as well as a variety of autocannons ranging up to 40&nbsp;mm.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.123exp-warfare.com/t/03804237449/|title=Information on the GAU-8/A| work =The Language of Weaponry|access-date=26 May 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090619223736/http://www.123exp-warfare.com/t/03804237449/ |archive-date=19 June 2009|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Both are used in the [[close air support]] role.

<gallery>
File:Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighter.jpg | [[Westland C.O.W. Gun Fighter]] with 37&nbsp;mm C.O.W. gun mounted to fire upwards
File:Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI.jpg| [[Supermarine Spitfire]] with 20&nbsp;mm cannon protruding from the leading edge of the wing
File:GSh-23 on MiG-23.jpg | [[GSh-23]] autocannon mounted on the underside of a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23]]
File:GAU-8 in A-10.jpg | The [[GAU-8/A Avenger]] rotary cannon, mounted in a [[Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II]]
</gallery>