Editing Weapon (section)

== Types ==
=== By user ===
:''– what person or unit uses the weapon''
* [[Personal weapon]]s (or [[small arms]]) – designed to be used by a single person.
* [[SALW|Light weapons]] – 'man-portable' weapons that may require a small team to operate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/Depts/ddar/Firstcom/SGreport52/a52298.html |title=1997 Report of the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms |access-date=6 August 2012 |website=un.org |date=27 August 1997}}</ref>
* Heavy weapons – [[artillery]] and similar weapons larger than light weapons (see [[SALW]]).
* [[Crew served weapon]]s – larger than personal weapons, requiring two or more people to operate correctly.
* Fortification weapons – mounted in a permanent installation or used primarily within a fortification.
* [[Mountain gun|Mountain weapons]] – for use by mountain forces or those operating in difficult terrain.
* [[:Category:Vehicle-mounted weaponss|Vehicle-mounted weapons]] – to be mounted on any type of [[combat vehicle]].
* [[Railway weapon]]s – designed to be mounted on railway cars, including armored trains.
* [[List of aircraft weapons|Aircraft weapons]] – carried on and used by some type of [[aircraft]], [[helicopter]], or other aerial vehicle.
* [[:Category:Naval weapons|Naval weapons]] – mounted on [[ship]]s and [[submarine]]s.
* [[Space weapon]]s – are designed to be used in or launched from space.
* [[Autonomous weapon]]s – are capable of accomplishing a mission with limited or no human intervention.

=== By function ===
:''– the construction of the weapon and the principle of operation''
* [[Antimatter weapon]]s (theoretical) – would combine matter and [[antimatter]] to cause a powerful explosion.
* [[Archery]] weapons – operate by using a tensioned string and a bent solid to launch a projectile.
* [[Artillery]] – firearms capable of launching heavy projectiles over long distances.
* [[Biological weapon]]s – spread biological agents, causing disease or infection.
* [[Blunt instrument]]s – designed to break or fracture bones, produce [[concussion]]s, create organ ruptures, or [[crush injury|crush injuries]].
* [[Chemical weapon]]s – poison people and cause reactions.
* [[Edged and bladed weapons]] – designed to pierce or cut through skin, muscle, or bone and cause internal or external bleeding.
* [[Directed-energy weapon|Energy weapons]] – rely on concentrating forms of energy to attack, such as lasers or sonic attacks.
* [[Explosive weapon]]s – use a physical explosion to create a blast, concussion, or spread [[Shrapnel (fragment)|shrapnel]].
* [[Firearms]] – use a chemical charge to launch projectiles.
* [[Improvised weapon]]s – common objects reused as weapons, such as crowbars and kitchen knives.
* [[Incendiary weapon]]s – cause damage by fire.
* [[Loitering munition]]s – designed to [[Loiter (aeronautics)|loiter]] over a battlefield, striking once a target is located.
* [[Magnetic weapon]]s – use magnetic fields to propel projectiles or focus particle beams.
* [[Missile]]s – rockets that are guided to their target after launch. (Also a general term for [[projectile]] weapons.)
* [[Non-lethal weapon]]s – designed to subdue without killing.
* [[Nuclear weapon]]s – use radioactive materials to create [[nuclear fission]] or [[nuclear fusion]] detonations
* [[Rocket (weapon)|Rockets]] – self-propelled projectiles.
* [[Suicide weapon]]s – exploit the willingness of their operators not surviving the attack.

=== By target ===
:''– the type of target the weapon is designed to attack''
* [[Anti-aircraft]] weapons – target missiles and aerial vehicles in flight.
* [[Anti-fortification weapon]]s – designed to target enemy installations.
* [[Anti-personnel weapon]]s – designed to attack people, either individually or in numbers.
* [[Anti-radiation missile|Anti-radiation]] weapons – target sources of electronic radiation, particularly radar emitters.
* [[Anti-satellite weapon]]s – target orbiting satellites.
* [[:Category:Anti-ship weapons|Anti-ship weapons]] – target ships and vessels on water.
* [[Anti-submarine weapon]]s – target submarines and other underwater targets.
* [[Anti-tank weapon]]s – designed to defeat armored targets.
* [[Area denial weapons]] – target territory, making it unsafe or unsuitable for enemy use or travel.
* [[Hunting weapon]]s – weapons used to hunt [[game animal]]s.
* [[:Category:Infantry support weapons|Infantry support weapons]] – designed to attack various threats to infantry units.
* [[Siege engine]]s – designed to break or circumvent heavy fortifications in [[siege warfare]].