Artillery

Artillery is a class of heavy military weapons built to fire munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry's small arms. Self-propelled artillery vehicles are highly mobile weapons of great versatility, providing the largest share of an army's total firepower.

The word "artillery" usually refers to shell-firing guns, howitzers, mortars, rockets and guided missiles. The projectiles fired are typically either "shot" (if solid) or "shell" (if not). "Shell" is a widely used generic term for a projectile, which is a component of munitions.

Artillery is arguably the most lethal form of land-based armament employed.