Indirect Fire

This report, titled 'Indirect Fire: A technical analysis of the employment, accuracy, and effects of indirect-fire artillery weapons' addresses a range of conventional artillery weapons firing explosive munitions, the use of which is not specifically prohibited or otherwise limited by international law (contrary to weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions, which do have specific restrictions imposed by international law). The weapon systems reviewed in this report are frequently...
More Description

This report, titled 'Indirect Fire: A technical analysis of the employment, accuracy, and effects of indirect-fire artillery weapons' addresses a range of conventional artillery weapons firing explosive munitions, the use of which is not specifically prohibited or otherwise limited by international law (contrary to weapons such as landmines and cluster munitions, which do have specific restrictions imposed by international law). The weapon systems reviewed in this report are frequently encountered on contemporary battlefields, and commonly held by state security forces and armed non-state actors.The purpose of the report is to provide background information on the technical characteristics of indirect-fire weapon systems, examine how and when they are employed by state and non-state actors, address and explain issues regarding their accuracy and precision, and describe their effects. It is meant to be a general reference document, intended for a comparatively wide audience, and not a handbook for technical specialists.Section 1 of the report provides a brief developmental history of indirect-fire weapon systems, and gives generic information for the broad categories of coverindirect-fire artillery systems - guns, mortars, and rockets. It explains technical characteristics general to artillery weapons, as well as those specific to the three primary types addressed.Section 2 discusses the primary considerations affecting the employment of indirect-fire systems, including their role, operational considerations and doctrine, and some discussion of sustainability and survivability.Section 3 of the report examines the accuracy and precision of indirect-fire systems, and the factors that affect this. It addresses concepts such as accuracy, precision, circular error probable (CEP), bias, and error.Section 4 of the report examines the effects of explosive munitions. It discusses the primary damage mechanisms of blast, fragmentation, and thermal energy; addresses second-order effects such as ground shock, secondary fragmentation, firebrands, and cratering; and introduces the common types of explosive munitions warheads and fuzes.