Editing Artillery (section)

===Projectiles===
{{Main|Shell (projectile)}}
[[File:Nuclear artillery test Grable Event - Part of Operation Upshot-Knothole.jpg|thumb|Artillery can be used to fire [[nuclear artillery|nuclear warheads]], as seen in [[Upshot-Knothole Grable|this 1953 nuclear test]].]]
The projectile is the munition or "bullet" fired downrange. This may be an explosive device. Projectiles have traditionally been classified as "shot" or "shell", the former being solid and the latter having some form of "payload".

Shells can be divided into three configurations: bursting, base ejection or nose ejection. The latter is sometimes called the shrapnel configuration. The most modern is base ejection, which was introduced in World War I. Base and nose ejection are almost always used with airburst fuzes. Bursting shells use various types of fuze depending on the nature of the payload and the tactical need at the time.

Payloads have included:
* '''Bursting''': high-explosive, [[white phosphorus]], coloured marker, chemical, nuclear devices; [[high-explosive anti-tank]] and canister may be considered special types of bursting shell.
* '''Nose ejection''': shrapnel, star, incendiary and flechette (a more modern version of shrapnel).
* '''Base ejection''': [[Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition]] bomblets, which arm themselves and function after a set number of rotations after having been ejected from the projectile (this produces unexploded sub-munitions, or "duds", which remain dangerous), scatterable mines, illuminating, coloured flare, smoke, incendiary, propaganda, chaff<ref>p. 266, Browne & Thurbon</ref> (foil to jam radars)<ref>p. 262, International
Aeronautic Federation</ref> and modern exotics such as electronic payloads and sensor-fuzed munitions.