Arms

• In the weapons of war, one distinguishes two main categories: the nonconventional weapons (namely the nuclear weapons , chemical and biological) and the conventional weapons (all others weapons).

• Today, the principal users of the weapons remain the State S, which all while controlling some the development, the production and the access, initially intend them for the Militaire S and the police force. The control of the weapons is considered by certain paramount in a developed company, while others affirm that the citizens should always have a weapon in order to be able to fight, if necessary, against an attacker (abusive fellow-citizen or invader) or a corrupted capacity.
• the soldiers extend the definition of the term arms with all the devices engaged in the warlike activity even if they do not cause immediate destruction. One can thus quote the Renseignement or the Logistique.
• the word arms also indicates a functional component of the Army, thus the Infanterie, the armor-plated Arme cavalry, the Artillerie, the genius are called weapons .

The sword and the armor or the arms race

The apologue of the sword and the Cuirasse stipulates that any weapon causes a parade, while any protection will be exceeded by a new weapon. In other words, that the arms race is launched of any eternity and is absolutely without end.

This race should not be included/understood like only in the field of the Technologie, but also on that of the Stratégie, of the Tactique (what Sun Tzu had included/understood four centuries before our era), and even of the social organization (from the aptitude to mobilize a larger fraction of effective soldiers: 100 Hoplite S Spartans, trained, interdependent and well armed, could outclass 10  well; 000 Slave S of the Persian ).

Since the préhumains probably beginning with simple a Gourdin or while launching stones, the Homo sapiens crossed an important and, perhaps, final threshold by acquiring, during the last half-century, the capacity of autodétruire completely, about thirty times if it is needed.

See too

• prehistoric Armament
• ancient Armament
• medieval Armament and medieval Artillery

• military Unit

Lexicon

• Automatic Lengthening-piece

• Firearms
• Gauge
• Double action
• Grain
• Store
• Semi-automatic Ammunition
• Firepower
• Simple action
• Arms manufacture
• Arms manufacturer
• Armorial bearings (heraldic)

Categories of use

To use or have a weapon can correspond to several functions. Some weapons can be used for several uses but each one usually is more particularly adapted to a particular employment.

Weapons of demolition

They are intended to kill, thanks to a projectile or not, a captive animal (often high).

Hunting weapons

They are intended to allow the capture or, more often, to kill an wild animal, generally with the intention to nourish or remove of it a destroying animal for the cultures or the breeding. The hunting weapons are often used remotely: weapons of jet or firearms. Hunting is also practiced with Piège S or in a brought closer way: spear, large knife.

Propellent Sagaie and

One of oldest arms with jet known consists of a Lance light impetus with the hand of which the propulsion is improved thanks to a launcher which artificially lengthens the length of the arm and thus the force of the throw.

Killing stick

Formerly used by the aboriginals of Australia it is about a heavy and bent piece of wood launched to the hand whose mechanical operation is same as that of famous the Boomerang, with this close the killing stick does not return alone to the launcher.

Arc, crossbow

They are still used nowadays by some highly skilled hunters. Certain civilizations use small not very powerful arcs whose arrow S are coated with Poison. The hunters with the arc use on the other hand arcs with pulleys giving an important power.

Blowpipe

They are used with poisoned darts, often thanks to Curare. Their dangerosity thus does not come from the force of the impact.

Lance

Used in particular with horse to drive out large Game S.

Rifle

The firearms and in particular the rifle S for their precision are used for hunting for a long time. Their form is very variable according to game. They are generally rather cumbersome and have a reduced rate of shooting and/or a store of weak capacité.

• shotgun to smooth heart: composed of one or two gun S large not possibly striped Gauge provided with system of a manual or semi-automatic recharging, generally drawing from the multiple projectiles to maximize the probability of reaching game. In order to concentrate the sheaf of lead, the gun is often resséré with the mouth. One uses then the Anglicism choke (throttling): no the choke, 1/4 of choke, 1/2 of choke, 3/4 of choke or choke.
• rifle for big game: intended to cut down animals of important size at distance sometimes long, these rifles are generally equipped with a gun with striped heart and a device with manual repetition. They use balls of a Caliber weaker but much faster for the best carried and are often equipped with a Lunette to ensure an optimal aiming. Certain rifles for very big game (as the elephants) can be confined for very large gauges.

• See > Shotgun

Civil weapons

The weapons had by civilians answer different uses during the history. In the past everyone was more or less armed because the tools were just as easily used to work that to face the brigands. The reduction in the insecurity and the improvement of the police force, legitimate holder of the monopoly of the physical power (cf max Weber), tends according to some to make the weapons increasingly inappropriate in the civilians. Clear separation between work place and private life as well as technological development reduce of as much the availability of potential weapons in the daily life.

Intended to attack its next, to deny themselves these aggressions or to make reign the law and order, the civil weapons answer criteria of discretion, dissuasion and relative harmlessness.

Weapons of ceremony and pageantry

• Kriss, typical knife of Indonesia or Malaysia. This weapon also knows uses answering its nature better.

• Kirpan, knife used as a religious accessory, that all Sikh must carry. It is acted as theory of a saber and in practice often of a dagger.

Old weapons

Many tools were used as weapons during the human history, some are it still. Some of these tools were modified for an exclusively military use. The majority of the tools quoted below have a version known as “of weapons ”:

• Knife: it was a usual object a long time that each one related to him. In Japan, the tantō was regarded as a weapon;
• Plague X: intended to beat cereals, the Western plagues consisted of a long pole connected by a cord or a chain with a moving part made it possible to beat harvest. In Asia, the plague is composed of two or three parts identical length, to work squatted, and perdure today under the name of Nunchaku (2 branches, Japan) or san-jie-gun (3branches, China);
• stick: intended for walk, to carry loads, to advance the cattle, the stick is undoubtedly the most universal weapon, because easy to manufacture in any place starting from green heart, cut thanks to a knife. In addition, it is named in China l'" ancestor of the armes".
• false and sickles, Fork…: good number of agricultural tools were employed as arms. These weapons are to call Arme of hast
• Hache;
• the cane (cf Cane of combat);

• Tonfa : it is about an Asian weapon made up of a piece of wood equipped with a perpendicular handle. In the beginning, it was about a tool intended to make turn a grinding stone;
• Sai : in the beginning an agricultural grip with fruits, this Japanese weapon in form of Ψ was used per pair. It consists of a large dagger equipped with a widened guard and whose blade is replaced by a nonsharp metal part.

Nonlethal weapons

See also: nonlethal Weapon, Maintenance of law and order

Weapons of contact

• Bon many objects of the everyday life is likely to be used as weapon: Knife, cutter, Screwdriver: easy to obtain and camouflage, this type of weapons is potentially very dangerous;

• Ceste: piece of metal coating the hand intended to increase the effectiveness of a punch. Moreover, it protects the phalanges from its user, who can thus give more blows without wound to the fist;
• bludgeon: arms blunt, sometimes telescopic to facilitate discrete transport of it, can contain an electric device or paralyzing gas. The police force also uses the Tonfa, a bludgeon equipped with a handle perpendicular to the level of the guard. One also finds bludgeon flexible which increases the deterrent force by their light movement of plague
• Lacet throttle valve, Garrot: Used since always these weapons are always in service in certain commandos. Their use was offensive (arms favorite of the Sultans to make carry out their opponents) but also " institutional " with the service of the Torturers to carry out condemned to dead for example in the Ancient Rome (Vercingétorix).

Firearms

• the handguns: in France the legislation rises from the origin of the ammunition. Any weapon confining a ammunition of war is considered separately. It results from this a characteristic: the handguns of 9mm Parabellum, ammunition used by the army, are regarded as weapon of war and thus more controlled than of the more powerful weapons such as for example those drawing from the ammunition of .357 Magnum.
• “tactical” rifles, which are rifle S of hunting with smooth heart, compact and equipped with a department store.

Weapons of war

Weapons of contact

The principal weapons during Antiquity and with the Middle Ages, the weapons of contact have multiple forms, intended for troops of varied nature: infantry equipped more or less well, soldiers of elites, cavalry, defense of fortified town.

The sword or the saber is purely warlike weapons and which consequently were in many cultures the symbol of the warriors, thus the nobility in Europe, the Samurai S in Japan. The lance undoubtedly constituted the most widespread weapon among privates.

See also: medieval Armament

The progressive introduction of the firearms making protections inoperative, the weapons of contact also became lighter. The weapon of contact was finally limited to the bayonet, a blade or a point fixed at the gun of rifle and being used for the final fray after the exchanges of gunfire. With the improvement of the rate of shooting of the firearms, the bayonet lost of its interest although modern rifles of attack can always be equipped with a knife to their gun.

Weapons of jet

Very early the armies sought to strike the remote adversary by using weapons of jet. The projectiles are propelled to the hand or with a launcher. The lances, the slings, the arcs were used as of antiquity. One must also quote the crossbow, slow and powerful used for the seats in Europe, light and with repetition among Chinese. The only weapons comparable to weapons of jet present in the current arsenals are the grenades with hand.

Individual firearms

Gun, Revolver, Arquebus, rifle, Rifle with pump, Machine pistol, Rifle, Rifle of attack, Mitrailleuse is the principal firearms used by the armies.

• the revolver, first firearm with repetition clearly signed the end of the reign of the knives. Of a simple design, the Munition S are contained in a Barillet. A publicity made the apology in these terms for it: God made strong men and weak men, Samuel Colt made them equal. ;
• the automatic pistol replaces the revolver effectively. Its feeding system per charger offers a definitely higher rate of shooting, an increased capacity and an obstruction inferior to him. It is a weapon rather directed towards the individual defense, which is generally reserved to the officers who do not have to make use little of their weapon;
• the Machine pistol, between the automatic pistol and rifle machine gunner is an individual weapon, very effective with very short range (5 m to 50 m) which uses ammunition of handguns. The feeding system in ammunition is done by charger. Low power of the Projectile S.A. initially allowed to develop automatic light weapons with fine soldiers. With the appearance of rifles of attack, the machine pistol fell in disuse in the armies but its use was spread in the police force, the fight anti-terrorist and the brought closer protection where them Firepower and their compactness is particularly effective. One can consider that the machine pistols operate a kind of return in the military field with the emergence of the Personal Defense Weapons (PDW) intended to allow to the personnel the such crew of vehicles, the artillerists and the officers to defend oneself effectively against attackers equipped with individual protections (increasingly widespread) without to be encumbered of a heavy rifle of attack.

• rifle is the principal military firearm, it particularly improved in the current of the 19th century, in rate, range and power. That did not prevent the generals of the time from organizing massacres by making the war on line with the mode of the previous century, being sulky the Carabine S with repetition of a less range but presenting however a rate without equivalent, with the title that a weapon of this type would return the combat to the useless body-with-body and that consequently the armies would become pleutres. Rifle become rifle of attack, functioning in semi-automatic or automatic mode is less and less the principal weapon of a military conflict. The advanced heavy weapons, means of communication with artillery or aviation make rifle less important. There remains however an individual weapon necessary, this would be only to ensure the prevalence of the troops in hostile environment and often of not-right which is that of the war.
• the grenade S with rifle are explosive projectiles. Some are drawn by means of a rifle while the others are it by specific weapons. The grenades, generally used against the Infantry or the light vehicles, can be drawn to several hundreds from meters according to a curved trajectory. The rifle grenades tend to yield the step to the grenades of 40 mm, more precise. This second type of grenade exists in two models, the drawn grenades with weak swiftness since individual weapons and the drawn grenades with high swiftness since specific weapons. These heavy grenade throwers developed during the war of Vietnam are capable of an automatic shooting and were assembled initially on helicopters then on boats of patrol and vehicles terrestrial;

Heavy weapons

• the Mitrailleuse appeared at the 19th century in the form of famous the Gatling equipped with several rotary guns. First of all regarded as a piece of artillery, it accompanies the infantry in her displacements during the Second world war. The Mitrailleuse allows a shooting heavy long and short range. There exist two types of machine-guns having this use: light machine-guns and light machine gun (gauges lower than 7,62 mm) and heavy machine guns (12,7 mm for NATO). The latter is generally equipped with 2 interchangeable guns, one to draw while the other cools. The machine-gun is also assembled on vehicles; by convention machine-gun is called a gauge lower than 20 mm while the guns employ a gauge equal to or higher than 20 mm;
• the Lance-flame is a weapon flamer appeared during the First World War. Related by a soldier or rise to a vehicle, it is a particularly cruel weapon used with short range against fortifications, tunnels or grassy zones in which enemy soldiers are likely to hide. The Lance-flame from now on is prohibited by conventions in force, which undoubtedly contributed to justify the French Army to implement powerful units of clearing of undergrowth . The weapons flamers are presented in any event more and more in the form of specific Munition S: grenade S, rocket S, bends S, Obus… which allows a remote shooting. ( to also see Greek fire and Napalm )
• the mortar is a part of Artillerie whose Caliber varies between 45 mm and 81 mm for the weapons portable and reached 160 mm for the heavier weapons. It functions according to the principle of the indirect shooting, the projectiles are drawn towards the sky and fall down vertically on their target what makes it possible to bombard a target over an obstacle.
• the gun is the heavy weapon par excellence. It was a long time laboriously charged by the Gueule and drew then at rather short distance with the inert Boulet S intended to shake the walls or doors of the fortresses or the hulls and the superstructures of the ships. One heated sometimes these balls in a hearth to return them flamers ( to draw with teeth and nail ) or one joined together them per pairs by means of a chain even of a bar (rowed balls) for démâter the enemy ships or to mow a bridge of his occupants. They very strongly evolved/moved during the last two centuries, tie from now on Obus of various natures: explosives, perforating, flamers, chemical, always further and always more quickly. One classifies them mainly by their gauges:
• In 20 mm/30 mm , they equip since good the planes a long time where they replace the machine-guns for the attacks of troops on the ground or the destruction of slightly armor-plated objectives;
• 30 mm/40 mm : Anti-aircraft guns assembled on motor vehicle or tractor drawn;
• On the tanks the gauge goes from 50 mm to 125 mm (Canon of attack) and the heart is, since the beginning of the years 1960, smooth on the majority of the models;
• the self-propelled guns or tractor drawn see their gauge evolving/moving of 75mm to 203mm (Artillerie);
• On the large cruisers of marine, of the guns whose gauge reached 500 mm were assembled, they from now on obsolete because are gradually replaced by batteries of missiles;
• the bends S;
• the Missile S, of the projectiles self-propelled and guided having for mission of transporting a warhead on an objective for its destruction;
• the ballistic missiles were developed during the Second world war and did not cease being sophisticated. They can even be drawn from the Sous-marin S in diving. Other types of missiles of shorter range, guided by systems increasingly more powerful equip from now on any machine able to convey them;

• the cruise missiles (sometimes still called flying bombs ) are the last evolution of these machines. They are kinds of autonomous jets, their ancestor is the V1. They are controlled by a computer, fly at very low altitude while following the relief, can be guided by satellite, have a range of several hundred kilometers and are especially of a remarkable precision, about a few meters;
• the rockets anti-tank device with Hollow-charge, propelled by a small rocket motor, started to be spread during the Second world war, substitute of heavy rifles drawing from the balls perforating hitherto used. The Lance-roquettes consists of a tube open to the two ends, with a system of aiming and firing.

Weapons of civil defense

• the mine is equipment camouflaged in the environment starting with the passage of a potential target. The mines are designed either against vehicles (terrestrial or marine), or against the people. The second category is most widespread and causes cruel damage in the civil populations well after the end of the hostilities. The anti-personnel mine contains an explosive load not intended to kill but to mutilate and wound seriously, a dead soldier claims indeed much less care and attentions that a paralyzed soldier. Dispersible per thousands since a plane, these mines are infinitely easier to pose than to withdraw. For this reason of many voices rise to prohibit the use of it.

Armoured tanks

After war, the armoured tanks evolved/moved, more mobiles, more solid, equipped with a more powerful armament and increasingly sophisticated systems of aiming. A weight limit however remains insuperable, in particular to make it possible the tanks to cross the bridges without them yielding under their weight. The weapons intended to counter them also multiplied, Missile S guided portable or embarked on travelling vehicles, Avion S or Hélicoptère S, bends S at specific submunitions.

The armoured tanks remain in spite of very impossible to circumvent on the battle field for the protection which they offer against the light weapons associated with an important firepower and a good mobility.

Aviation

Introduced during the First World War and only for the recognition, the first engagements was done by the exchange of shooting of Pistolet and rifle. Quickly, of the machine-guns were assembled on board, either been used by a machine gunner for the back, or assembled in the axis of the plane.

At the beginning of the Second world war, aviation saw its roles multiplying: logistics, parachuting of material and troops, recognition, air support on the battle field, strategic bombardment of the enemy infrastructures and drive out. Considerable progresses one be accomplished in a few years. Aviation made it possible to carry the conflict apart from the battle fields directly behind the frontline. It also made it possible to attack the civil populations with the objective to break its moral. The use twice of the atomic weapon by the United States at the end of the war, reinforced the strategic role of aviation considerably.

The control of the air became a condition absolutely necessary to the victory. The military aviation developed after war while following a vice of technology. The reaction engine offered a considerable power making it possible the apparatuses to carry more weapons and to be able to fly above the speed of sound. Embarked radars make it possible to locate the targets in the air or on the ground and to ensure a sure navigation closest to the ground, of the directional parabola in the nose of the apparatus to the antenna with electronic sweeping. The armament was seen reinforced by heat-seeking missiles or by radar without the gun disappearing for as much, of many ammunition of attack on the ground also were developed, guided and autonomous to ensure a maximum of safety the bombers. In the same movement the air anti weapons grew rich, gun with pointings radar, important missiles ground air of high-altitude and long range or short-range missiles rapids and operating assembled on vehicles or portables by the Infanterie.

The modern apparatuses are particularly unstable to offer best the handiness to them, only the assistance of data processing makes it possible to control them without risk. The Hélicoptère also takes an increasingly important place since the Années 1960. Intended to move troops or to support them on the ground and also to fight the tanks, it allows an unknown mobility hitherto.

See: List of the military aircrafts or Military aircraft

Navy

The navy is one of oldest weapons the. It takes a rise very particular to the turning of the 16th century with the development of explorations, colonization and the maritime trade at long distance. The navy allowed to convey Troupe S for control of the colony S and to protect the maritime commercial Route S succeeding and on the basis of Europe. The England, first economic power was also the first maritime power.

The ships out of wooden, propelled to the veil were equipped with heavy gun S out of cast iron with loading by the mouth which went to the battle in long lines which exchanged broadsides of balls. The combat could continue if necessary with the Knife and the firearm of fist after a boarding.

The things évoluérent during the 19th century, the gun S were done more precise and the propulsion with vapor started to make its appearance. The first Armoured S, ships out of steel with mechanical propulsion intended for éperonner the conventional ships appeared during the American Civil War.

At the beginning of the 20th century the battleships still had to them spur and had been also equipped with turrets of Artillerie and a increasingly resistant Blindage. In parallel the first Torpilleur S made their appearance. The first Sous-marin S were also brought into service at that time, even if they were especially used for tightening ambushes with the convoys which they attacked with the gun after having made surface.

At the beginning of the Second world war, the warships were imposing buildings equipped with the largest existing pieces of artillery (up to 600 mm) intended to fight equivalent boats or to support troops combatant close to the coast. The Germany made devastations in the convoys of supply crossing the North Atlantic with its submarines equipped with a number of increasing equipment of detection. One needed light and fast ships equipped with Sonar and underwater grenade S to come to end.

They are the Japanese and their use of the embarked aviation which rang the knell of the enormous on-armed battleships. The surprised attack of Pearl Harbor and the intensive use of aviation against the ships were a doctrinal success which definitively changed the face of the navy of war.

The ships with nuclear Propulsion S make their appearance during the Cold war. If the use of the nuclear propulsion allows the construction of colossal Porte-avions, it is especially its use in the submarines which changed considerably gives it. Those do not need more to sail close or on the surface to reload to them battery S. One counts from now on the Sous-marin S of attack, intended to attack the other submarines, the buildings of surface, and the strategic Sous-marin S launchers of machines intended to carry in any discretion of the Missile S equipped with nuclear warheads, whose range allows, almost, to launch them does not import or. The stake of the navy is not only any more the safety of the Communication S navy, but also to face a threat Stratégique implying weapons of massive destruction.

The building S of Surface also evolved/moved, barded equipment of detection and attack intended to deal with threats coming from the air, the sea and, of the lower part of the sea. They must as much as possible detecting their Cible the S while remaining them-even most discrete possible. The aircraft, Helicopter S and Avion S play a fundamental role for this reason. The distances from engagement also lengthened. The surface vessels just like the submarines do not draw any more that missiles (sea/sea, sea/air, sea/ground) and, cruise missile and, lost their heavy batteries of Artillerie.

Weapons of massive destruction or nonconventional weapons

See the complete article nonconventional weapons

Regulation relating to the weapons

In Brazil

In Finland