Editing Artillery (section)

== Tactics ==
[[File:Artillerieschiessen Simplonpass 2023 (01).jpg|thumb|Artillery illuminating ammunition used in a shooting exercise on [[Simplon Pass]], [[Switzerland]]. The illuminated mountain is Mount [[Fletschhorn]], 9 km from the photographer's position.]]
During [[military operation]]s, [[field artillery]] has the role of providing support to other arms in combat or of attacking targets, particularly in-depth. Broadly, these effects fall into two categories, aiming either to suppress or neutralize the enemy, or to cause casualties, damage, and destruction. This is mostly achieved by delivering high-explosive munitions to suppress, or inflict casualties on the enemy from [[Penetrating trauma|casing fragments and other debris]] and from [[blast injury|blast]], or by destroying enemy positions, equipment, and vehicles. Non-lethal munitions, notably smoke, can also suppress or neutralize the enemy by obscuring their view.

Fire may be directed by an [[artillery observer]] or another observer, including crewed and uncrewed aircraft, or called onto [[Geographic coordinate system|map coordinates]].

[[Military doctrine]] has had a significant influence on the core [[Engineering design process|engineering design]] considerations of artillery ordnance through its history, in seeking to achieve a balance between the delivered volume of fire with ordnance mobility. However, during the modern period, the consideration of protecting the gunners also arose due to the late-19th-century introduction of the new generation of infantry weapons using [[Cylindro-conoidal bullet|conoidal bullet]], better known as the [[Minié ball]], with a range almost as long as that of field artillery.

The gunners' increasing proximity to and participation in direct combat against other combat arms and attacks by aircraft made the introduction of a gun shield necessary. The problems of how to employ a fixed or horse-towed gun in mobile warfare necessitated the development of new methods of transporting the artillery into combat. Two distinct forms of artillery were developed: the towed gun, used primarily to attack or defend a fixed-line; and the self-propelled gun, intended to accompany a mobile force and to provide continuous fire support and/or suppression. These influences have guided the development of artillery ordnance, systems, organizations, and operations until the present, with artillery systems capable of providing support at ranges from as little as 100&nbsp;m to the intercontinental ranges of [[ballistic missile]]s. The only combat in which artillery is unable to take part is [[Close combat|close-quarters combat]], with the possible exception of artillery reconnaissance teams.<ref>{{cite web|last1= Šotnar|first1=Jiří|last2=Carbol|first2=Michal|last3=Blaha|first3=Martin|title= Modernization of artillery reconnaissance|url=http://inase.org/library/2014/varna/bypaper/AMCSE/AMCSE-17.pdf|website= INASE|publisher=Applied Mathematics, Computational Science and Engineering|access-date=March 17, 2015|archive-date= April 17, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180417100510/http://inase.org/library/2014/varna/bypaper/AMCSE/AMCSE-17.pdf|url-status=dead}}
</ref>