Misplaced Pages

#876123

72-552: At 11.5 lb (5 kg), the M192 is 6.5 lb (3 kg) lighter than its predecessor. Unlike the M122, its rear legs are independently movable and stored in a forward position. Because of this design, there is no need for a locking bar connecting the two legs. Additionally, the M192 features an integrated traversing and elevation (T&E) mechanism. Instead of the M122's ratcheting screw method of operation and locking traversing bar,

144-407: A commercial industry involved in the research and development , engineering , production, and servicing of military material, equipment, and facilities. Many industrialized countries have a domestic arms industry to supply their own military forces, and some also have a substantial trade in weapons for use by their citizens for self-defense, hunting, or sporting purposes. Contracts to supply

216-569: A battle. The Chinese applied the use of double- piston bellows to pump petrol out of a single cylinder (with an upstroke and downstroke), lit at the end by a slow-burning gunpowder match to fire a continuous stream of flame. This device was featured in description and illustration of the Wujing Zongyao military manuscript of 1044. In the suppression of the Southern Tang state by 976, early Song naval forces confronted them on

288-607: A broader context, weapons may be construed to include anything used to gain a tactical, strategic, material, or mental advantage over an adversary or enemy target. While ordinary objects such as sticks , rocks , bottles , chairs , and vehicles can be used as weapons , many objects are expressly designed for the purpose; these range from simple implements such as clubs , axes , spears , and swords to complicated modern firearms , tanks , intercontinental ballistic missiles , biological weapons , and cyberweapons . Something that has been repurposed, converted, or enhanced to become

360-405: A given country's military are awarded by governments, making arms contracts of substantial political importance. The link between politics and the arms trade can result in the development of a " military–industrial complex ", where the armed forces, commerce, and politics become closely linked. According to research institute SIPRI, the volume of international transfers of major weapons in 2010–2014

432-570: A network of coaling stations to refuel. The British Empire provided them in abundance, as did the French Empire to a lesser extent. War colleges developed, as military theory became a specialty; cadets and senior commanders were taught the theories of Jomini, Clausewitz and Mahan, and engaged in tabletop war games. Around 1900, entirely new innovations such as submarines and airplanes appeared, and were quickly adapted to warfare by 1914. The British HMS Dreadnought (1906) incorporated so much of

504-466: A number of issues around the potential ongoing risks from deployed weapons, the safe storage of weapons, and their eventual disposal when they are no longer effective or safe. Strange and exotic weapons are a recurring feature or theme in science fiction . In some cases, weapons first introduced in science fiction have now become a reality. Other science fiction weapons, such as force fields and stasis fields , remain purely fictional and are often beyond

576-772: A supplementary role. The two main types of military aircraft are bombers, which attack land- or sea-based targets, and fighters, which attack other aircraft. Military vehicles are land combat or transportation vehicles, excluding rail-based, which are designed for or in significant use by military forces. Military aircraft includes any use of aircraft by a country's military, including such areas as transport, training, disaster relief, border patrol, search and rescue, surveillance, surveying, peacekeeping, and (very rarely) aerial warfare. Warships are watercraft for combat and transportation in and on seas and oceans. Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare. They range in size and age from

648-546: A theme when it touches on deeper concerns, often motivated by contemporary issues. One example is science fiction that deals with weapons of mass destruction like doomsday devices . Military technology Military technology is the application of technology for use in warfare . It comprises the kinds of technology that are distinctly military in nature and not civilian in application, usually because they lack useful or legal civilian applications, or are dangerous to use without appropriate military training . The line

720-428: A timeframe measured in minutes rather than hours or days. To cover large distances ballistic missiles are usually launched into sub-orbital spaceflight . As soon as intercontinental missiles were developed, military planners began programmes and strategies to counter their effectiveness. A significant portion of military technology is about transportation, allowing troops and weaponry to be moved from their origins to

792-474: A weapon of war is termed weaponized , such as a weaponized virus or weaponized laser . The use of weapons has been a major driver of cultural evolution and human history up to today since weapons are a type of tool that is used to dominate and subdue autonomous agents such as animals and, by doing so, allow for an expansion of the cultural niche, while simultaneously other weapon users (i.e., agents such as humans, groups, and cultures) are able to adapt to

SECTION 10

#1732800760877

864-617: A worldwide crusade in the 1920s. Poison gas did not win battles, and the generals did not want it. The soldiers hated it far more intensely than bullets or explosive shells. By 1918, chemical shells made up 35 percent of French ammunition supplies, 25 percent of British, and 20 percent of American stock. The “Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous, or Other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare”, also known as

936-543: Is divided into the broad cultural developments that affected military technology. The first use of stone tools may have begun during the Paleolithic Period. The earliest stone tools are from the site of Lomekwi, Turkana, dating from 3.3 million years ago. Stone tools diversified through the Pleistocene Period, which ended ~12,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of warfare between two groups

1008-417: Is porous; military inventions have been brought into civilian use throughout history, with sometimes minor modification if any, and civilian innovations have similarly been put to military use. Military technology is usually researched and developed by scientists and engineers specifically for use in battle by the armed forces. Many new technologies came as a result of the military funding of science . On

1080-576: Is recorded at the site of Nataruk in Turkana, Kenya, where human skeletons with major traumatic injuries to the head, neck, ribs, knees and hands, including an embedded obsidian bladelet on a skull, are evidence of inter-group conflict between groups of nomadic hunter-gatherers 10,000 years ago. Humans entered the Bronze Age as they learned to smelt copper into an alloy with tin to make weapons. In Asia where copper-tin ores are rare, this development

1152-499: Is the trafficking of contraband weapons and ammunition . What constitutes legal trade in firearms varies widely, depending on local and national laws. In 2001, the United Nations had made a protocol against the manufacturing and trafficking of illicit arms. This protocol made governments dispose illegal arms, and to licence new firearms being produced, to ensure them being legitimate. It was signed by 122 parties. There are

1224-780: The Wujing Zongyao ("Collection of the Most Important Military Techniques"), written in 1044 by the Song scholars Zeng Kongliang and Yang Weide, described the use of three spring or triple bow arcuballista that fired arrow bolts holding gunpowder packets near the head of the arrow. Going back yet even farther, the Wu Li Xiao Shi (1630, second edition 1664) of Fang Yizhi stated that fire arrows were presented to Emperor Taizu of Song (r. 960–976) in 960. The Islamic gunpowder empires introduced numerous developed firearms, cannon and small arms. During

1296-467: The Geneva Protocol , was issued in 1925 and was accepted as policy by all major countries. In 1937, poison gas was manufactured in large quantities but not used except against nations that lacked modern weapons or gas masks. Many modern military weapons, particularly ground-based ones, are relatively minor improvements to weapon systems developed during World War II. World War II marked perhaps

1368-541: The Rapid Fielding Initiative . This article related to weaponry is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Weapon A weapon , arm , or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill . Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting , crime (e.g., murder ), law enforcement , self-defense , warfare , or suicide . In

1440-493: The Schöningen spears , eight wooden throwing spears dating back more than 300,000 years. At the site of Nataruk in Turkana, Kenya, numerous human skeletons dating to 10,000 years ago may present evidence of traumatic injuries to the head, neck, ribs, knees, and hands, including obsidian projectiles embedded in the bones that might have been caused by arrows and clubs during conflict between two hunter-gatherer groups. But

1512-580: The arquebus were much more powerful than human-powered weapons. Firearms became increasingly important and effective during the 16th–19th centuries, with progressive improvements in ignition mechanisms followed by revolutionary changes in ammunition handling and propellant. During the American Civil War , new applications of firearms, including the machine gun and ironclad warship , emerged that would still be recognizable and useful military weapons today, particularly in limited conflicts . In

SECTION 20

#1732800760877

1584-585: The trireme , were in use by the 7th century BC. During the first First Punic War , the use of advanced warships contributed to a Roman victory over the Carthaginians. European warfare during post-classical history was dominated by elite groups of knights supported by massed infantry (both in combat and ranged roles). They were involved in mobile combat and sieges , which involved various siege weapons and tactics. Knights on horseback developed tactics for charging with lances , providing an impact on

1656-563: The 'fierce fire oil' derived ultimately from one of China's maritime contacts in the 'southern seas', Arabia Dashiguo . In the Battle of Langshan Jiang in 919, the naval fleet of the Wenmu King from Wuyue defeated a Huainan army from the Wu state ; Wenmu's success was facilitated by the use of 'fire oil' ('huoyou') to burn their fleet, signifying the first Chinese use of gunpowder in

1728-698: The 1860s in Europe. Rocket artillery and the Mysorean rockets were pioneered by Indian Muslim ruler Tipu Sultan and the French introduced much more accurate rapid-fire field artillery. Logistics and communications support for land warfare dramatically improved with use of railways and telegraphs. Industrialization provided a base of factories that could be converted to produce munitions, as well as uniforms, tents, wagons and essential supplies. Medical facilities were enlarged and reorganized based on improved hospitals and

1800-485: The 1940s, and one with recognition thanks to the high priority given during the war to scientific and engineering research and development regarding nuclear weapons, radar, jet engines, proximity fuses, advanced submarines, aircraft carriers, and other weapons. The high-priority continues into the 21st century. It involves the military application of advanced scientific research regarding nuclear weapons, jet engines, ballistic and guided missiles, radar, biological warfare, and

1872-409: The 19th century, warship propulsion changed from sail power to fossil fuel -powered steam engines . Since the mid-18th century North American French-Indian war through the beginning of the 20th century, human-powered weapons were reduced from the primary weaponry of the battlefield to yielding gunpowder-based weaponry. Sometimes referred to as the "Age of Rifles", this period was characterized by

1944-569: The 4th century BC. Cavalry developed once horses were bred to support the weight of a human. The horse extended the range and increased the speed of attacks. Alexander's conquest saw the increased use of spears and shields in the Middle East and Western Asia as a result Greek culture spread which saw many Greek and other European weapons be used in these regions and as a result many of these weapons were adapted to fit their new use in war In addition to land-based weaponry, warships , such as

2016-517: The Chinese ' fire lance ' (a combination of a temporary-fire flamethrower and gun) was from a Buddhist mural painting of Dunhuang , dated circa 950. These 'fire-lances' were widespread in use by the early 12th century, featuring hollowed bamboo poles as tubes to fire sand particles (to blind and choke), lead pellets, bits of sharp metal and pottery shards, and finally large gunpowder-propelled arrows and rocket weaponry. Eventually, perishable bamboo

2088-554: The Great Wall of China to a Sangar. Sensors and communication systems are used to detect enemies, coordinate movements of armed forces and guide weaponry. Early systems included flag signaling, telegraph and heliographs. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technologies for use by the military. DARPA leads

2160-404: The M192 uses a pair of levers, which unlock the gun's position. The levers are designed to allow the gunner to make "bold adjustments" or "minor adjustments", depending on how much pressure the gunner uses. Due to its lighter weight and different configuration, it is claimed that machine gun crews can emplace the M192 more quickly than the M122. The M192 began being fielded in 2005 and is part of

2232-597: The Mongols in 1277, and employed by the Yuan dynasty afterwards. The innovation of the detonated land mine was accredited to one Luo Qianxia in the campaign of defense against the Mongol invasion by Kublai Khan , Later Chinese texts revealed that the Chinese land mine employed either a rip cord or a motion booby trap of a pin releasing falling weights that rotated a steel flint wheel , which in turn created sparks that ignited

M192 Lightweight Ground Mount - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-514: The Yangtze River in 975. Southern Tang forces attempted to use flamethrowers against the Song navy, but were accidentally consumed by their own fire when violent winds swept in their direction. Although the destructive effects of gunpowder were described in the earlier Tang dynasty by a Daoist alchemist , the earliest developments of the gun barrel and the projectile-fire cannon were found in late Song China. The first art depiction of

2376-442: The beginning of the implementation of firearms in western warfare. Guns and rockets were introduced to the battlefield. Firearms are qualitatively different from earlier weapons because they release energy from combustible propellants , such as gunpowder , rather than from a counterweight or spring. This energy is released very rapidly and can be replicated without much effort by the user. Therefore, even early firearms such as

2448-894: The coming years. Militaries across the world continue to perform research on autonomous technologies which allow for increased troop mobility or replacement of live soldiers. Autonomous vehicles and robots are expected to play a role in future conflicts; this has the potential to decrease loss of life in future warfare. Observers of transhumanism note high rates of technological terms in military literature, but low rates for explicitly transhuman-related terms. Today's hybrid style of warfare also calls for investments in information technologies. Increased reliance on computer systems has incentivized nations to push for increased efforts at managing large scale networks and having access to large scale data. New strategies of cyber and hybrid warfare includes, network attacks, media analysis, and media/ grass-roots campaigns on medias such as blog posts In 2011,

2520-622: The creation of modern nursing, typified by Florence Nightingale in Britain during the Crimean War of 1854–56. Naval warfare was transformed by many innovations, most notably the coal-based steam engine, highly accurate long-range naval guns, heavy steel armour for battleships, mines, and the introduction of the torpedo, followed by the torpedo boat and the destroyer. Coal after 1900 was eventually displaced by more efficient oil, but meanwhile navies with an international scope had to depend on

2592-498: The development of ancient weapons. It was not the introduction of early Iron Age swords , however, as they were not superior to their bronze predecessors, but rather the domestication of the horse and widespread use of spoked wheels by c.  2000 BC . This led to the creation of the light, horse-drawn chariot , whose improved mobility proved important during this era. Spoke-wheeled chariot usage peaked around 1300 BC and then declined, ceasing to be militarily relevant by

2664-426: The development of firearms for infantry and cannons for support, as well as the beginnings of mechanized weapons such as the machine gun . Artillery pieces such as howitzers were able to destroy masonry fortresses and other fortifications, and this single invention caused a revolution in military affairs , establishing tactics and doctrine that are still in use today. An important feature of industrial age warfare

2736-715: The development of military technology in the United States and today, has dozens of ongoing projects; everything from humanoid robots to bullets that can change path before reaching their target. China has a similar agency. Current militaries continue to invest in new technologies for the future. Such technologies include cognitive radar, 5G cellular networks, microchips, semiconductors, and large scale analytic engines. Additionally, many militaries seek to improve current laser technology. For example, Israeli Defense Forces utilize laser technology to disable small enemy machinery, but seek to move to more large scale capabilities in

2808-428: The development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, from small arms and heavy weapons to weapons of mass destruction . Arms control is typically exercised through the use of diplomacy, which seeks to impose such limitations upon consenting participants, although it may also comprise efforts by a nation or group of nations to enforce limitations upon a non-consenting country. Arms trafficking

2880-520: The dismantling of military assets in accordance with arms control treaties signed between the two superpowers. To use spy satellites in such a manner is often referred to in treaties as "national technical means of verification". The superpowers developed ballistic missiles to enable them to use nuclear weaponry across great distances. As rocket science developed, the range of missiles increased and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) were created, which could strike virtually any target on Earth in

2952-730: The end of the 1960s, both countries regularly deployed satellites. Spy satellites were used by militaries to take accurate pictures of their rivals' military installations. As time passed the resolution and accuracy of orbital reconnaissance alarmed both sides of the Iron Curtain . Both the United States and the Soviet Union began to develop anti-satellite weapons to blind or destroy each other's satellites. Laser weapons, kamikaze style satellites, as well as orbital nuclear explosion were researched with varying levels of success. Spy satellites were, and continue to be, used to monitor

M192 Lightweight Ground Mount - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-409: The end of this period revolutionized warfare. Formations of musketeers , protected by pikemen , came to dominate open battles, and the cannon replaced the trebuchet as the dominant siege weapon . The Ottoman used the cannon to destroy much of the fortifications at Constantinople which would change warfare as gunpowder became more available and technology improved The European Renaissance marked

3096-652: The enemy formations, and then drawing more practical weapons (such as swords ) once they entered melee. By contrast, infantry, in the age before structured formations, relied on cheap, sturdy weapons such as spears and billhooks in close combat and bows from a distance. As armies became more professional, their equipment was standardized, and infantry transitioned to pikes . Pikes are normally seven to eight feet in length and used in conjunction with smaller sidearms (short swords). In Eastern and Middle Eastern warfare, similar tactics were developed independent of European influences. The introduction of gunpowder from Asia at

3168-454: The explosive potential of packing hollowed cannonball shells with gunpowder. Written later by Jiao Yu in his Huolongjing (mid-14th century), this manuscript recorded an earlier Song-era cast-iron cannon known as the 'flying-cloud thunderclap eruptor' (fei yun pi-li pao). The manuscript stated that: As noted before, the change in terminology for these new weapons during the Song period were gradual. The early Song cannons were at first termed

3240-621: The first to use iron-tipped arrows. The Wujing Zongyao ( Essentials of the Military Arts ), written by Zeng Gongliang, Ding Du, and others at the order of Emperor Renzong around 1043 during the Song dynasty illustrate the eras focus on advancing intellectual issues and military technology due to the significance of warfare between the Song and the Liao, Jin, and Yuan to their north. The book covers topics of military strategy, training, and

3312-440: The front. Land transport has historically been mainly by foot, land vehicles have usually been used as well, from chariots to tanks. When conducting a battle over a body of water, ships are used. There are historically two main categories of ships: those for transporting troops, and those for attacking other ships. Soon after the invention of aeroplanes, military aviation became a significant component of warfare, though usually as

3384-470: The interpretation of warfare at Nataruk has been challenged due to conflicting evidence. The earliest ancient weapons were evolutionary improvements of late Neolithic implements, but significant improvements in materials and crafting techniques led to a series of revolutions in military technology . The development of metal tools began with copper during the Copper Age (about 3,300 BC) and

3456-476: The interwar period (between WWI and WWII) with the continuous evolution of weapon systems by all major industrial powers. The major armament firms were Schneider-Creusot (based in France), Škoda Works (Czechoslovakia), and Vickers (Great Britain). The 1920s were committed to disarmament and the outlawing of war and poison gas, but rearmament picked up rapidly in the 1930s. The munitions makers responded nimbly to

3528-443: The latest technology in weapons, propulsion and armour that it at a stroke made all other battleships obsolescent. New financial tools were developed to fund the rapidly increasing costs of warfare, such as popular bond sales and income taxes, and the funding of permanent research centers. Many 19th century innovations were largely invented and promoted by lone individuals with small teams of assistants, such as David Bushnell and

3600-572: The manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, and use of small arms by civilians. Countries that regulate access to firearms will typically restrict access to certain categories of firearms and then restrict the categories of persons who may be granted a license for access to such firearms. There may be separate licenses for hunting, sport shooting (a.k.a. target shooting), self-defense, collecting, and concealed carry, with different sets of requirements, permissions, and responsibilities. International treaties and agreements place restrictions on

3672-453: The most frantic period of weapon development in the history of humanity. Massive numbers of new designs and concepts were fielded, and all existing technologies were improved between 1939 and 1945. The most powerful weapon invented during this period was the nuclear bomb ; however, many other weapons influenced the world, such as jet aircraft and radar , but were overshadowed by the visibility of nuclear weapons and long-range rockets. Since

SECTION 50

#1732800760877

3744-522: The other hand, the theories, strategies, concepts and doctrines of warfare are studied under the academic discipline of military science . Armament engineering is the design, development, testing and lifecycle management of military weapons and systems. It draws on the knowledge of several traditional engineering disciplines, including mechanical engineering , electrical engineering , mechatronics , electro-optics , aerospace engineering , materials engineering , and chemical engineering . This section

3816-496: The period of Proto-industrialization , newly invented weapons were seen to be used in Mughal India . Rapid development in military technology had a dramatic impact on armies and navies in the industrialized world in 1740–1914. For land warfare, cavalry faded in importance, while infantry became transformed by the use of highly accurate more rapidly loading rifles, and the use of smokeless powder. Machine guns were developed in

3888-465: The point of being able to ensure the destruction of the Earth by 100 fold, a new tactic had to be developed. With this realization, armaments development funding shifted back to primarily sponsoring the development of conventional arms technologies for support of limited wars rather than total war . The arms industry is a global industry that involves the sale and manufacture of weaponry. It consists of

3960-521: The production and employment of advanced weaponry. Advances in military technology aided the Song dynasty in its defense against hostile neighbors to the north. The flamethrower found its origins in Byzantine -era Greece , employing Greek fire (a chemically complex, highly flammable petrol fluid) in a device with a siphon hose by the 7th century. The earliest reference to Greek Fire in China

4032-468: The rapidly shifting strategic and economic landscape. The main purchasers of munitions from the big three companies were Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Turkey – and, to a lesser extent, Poland, Finland, the Baltic States, and the Soviet Union. Realistic critics understood that war could not really be outlawed, but its worst excesses might be banned. Poison gas became the focus of

4104-490: The realization of mutual assured destruction (MAD), the nuclear option of all-out war is no longer considered a survivable scenario. During the Cold War in the years following World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear arms race . Each country and their allies continually attempted to out-develop each other in the field of nuclear armaments. Once the joint technological capabilities reached

4176-613: The realms of known physical possibility. At its most prosaic, science fiction features an endless variety of sidearms , mostly variations on real weapons such as guns and swords . Among the best-known of these are the phaser used in the Star Trek television series, films, and novels, and the lightsaber and blaster featured in the Star Wars movies, comics, novels, and TV series. In addition to adding action and entertainment value, weaponry in science fiction sometimes becomes

4248-575: The region, with the exception of Sub-Saharan Africa where it was developed independently. The first large-scale use of iron weapons began in Asia Minor around the 14th century BCE and in Central Europe around the 11th century BCE followed by the Middle East (about 1000 BCE) and India and China. The Assyrians are credited with the introduction of horse cavalry in warfare and the extensive use of iron weapons by 1100 BCE. Assyrians were also

4320-467: The same way as the Chinese trebuchet catapult . A later Ming dynasty scholar known as Mao Yuanyi would explain this use of terminology and true origins of the cannon in his text of the Wubei Zhi , written in 1628: The 14th-century Huolongjing was also one of the first Chinese texts to carefully describe to the use of explosive land mines , which had been used by the late Song Chinese against

4392-619: The submarine, John Ericsson and the battleship, Hiram Maxim and the machine gun, and Alfred Nobel and high explosives. By 1900 the military began to realize that they needed to rely much more heavily on large-scale research centers, which needed government funding. They brought in leaders of organized innovation such as Thomas Edison in the U.S. and chemist Fritz Haber of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Germany. The postmodern stage of military technology emerged in

SECTION 60

#1732800760877

4464-547: The train of fuses for the land mines. Furthermore, the Song employed the earliest known gunpowder-propelled rockets in warfare during the late 13th century, its earliest form being the archaic Fire Arrow . When the Northern Song capital of Kaifeng fell to the Jurchens in 1126, it was written by Xia Shaozeng that 20,000 fire arrows were handed over to the Jurchens in their conquest. An even earlier Chinese text of

4536-636: The use of electronics, computers and software. During the Cold War, the world's two great superpowers – the Soviet Union and the United States of America – spent large proportions of their GDP on developing military technologies. The drive to place objects in orbit stimulated space research and started the Space Race . In 1957, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite , Sputnik 1 . By

4608-507: The weapons of enemies by learning, triggering a continuous process of competitive technological, skill, and cognitive improvement ( arms race ). The use of objects as weapons has been observed among chimpanzees , leading to speculation that early hominids used weapons as early as five million years ago. However, this cannot be confirmed using physical evidence because wooden clubs, spears, and unshaped stones would have left an ambiguous record. The earliest unambiguous weapons to be found are

4680-461: The wide introduction of aircraft into warfare and naval warfare with the introduction of aircraft carriers . Above all, it promised the military commanders independence from horses and a resurgence in maneuver warfare through the extensive use of motor vehicles. The changes that these military technologies underwent were evolutionary but defined their development for the rest of the century. This period of innovation in weapon design continued in

4752-410: Was technological escalation – innovations were rapidly matched through replication or countered by another innovation. World War I marked the entry of fully industrialized warfare as well as weapons of mass destruction ( e.g. , chemical and biological weapons ), and new weapons were developed quickly to meet wartime needs. The technological escalation during World War I was profound, including

4824-434: Was 16 percent higher than in 2005–2009, and the arms sales of the world's 100 largest private arms-producing and military services companies totaled $ 420 billion in 2018. The production, possession, trade, and use of many weapons are controlled. This may be at a local or central government level or by international treaty. Examples of such controls include: All countries have laws and policies regulating aspects such as

4896-685: Was delayed until trading in bronze began in the third millennium BCE . In the Middle East and Southern European regions, the Bronze Age follows the Neolithic period, but in other parts of the world, the Copper Age is a transition from Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Although the Iron Age generally follows the Bronze Age, in some areas the Iron Age intrudes directly on the Neolithic from outside

4968-526: Was filled with about 100 lead balls. The earliest known depiction of a gun is a sculpture from a cave in Sichuan , dating to 1128, that portrays a figure carrying a vase-shaped bombard , firing flames and a cannonball. However, the oldest existent archaeological discovery of a metal barrel handgun is from the Chinese Heilongjiang excavation, dated to 1288. The Chinese also discovered

5040-515: Was followed by the Bronze Age , leading to the creation of the Bronze Age sword and similar weapons. During the Bronze Age, the first defensive structures and fortifications appeared as well, indicating an increased need for security. Weapons designed to breach fortifications followed soon after, such as the battering ram , which was in use by 2500 BC. The development of ironworking around 1300 BC in Greece had an important impact on

5112-532: Was made in 917, written by Wu Renchen in his Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms . In 919, the siphon projector-pump was used to spread the 'fierce fire oil' that could not be doused with water, as recorded by Lin Yu in his Wuyue Beishi , hence the first credible Chinese reference to the flamethrower employing the chemical solution of Greek fire (see also Pen Huo Qi ). Lin Yu mentioned also that

5184-399: Was replaced with hollow tubes of cast iron, and so too did the terminology of this new weapon change, from ' fire-spear ' huo qiang to 'fire-tube' huo tong . This ancestor to the gun was complemented by the ancestor to the cannon, what the Chinese referred to since the 13th century as the 'multiple bullets magazine erupter' bai zu lian zhu pao , a tube of bronze or cast iron that

#876123