In
ballistics, the elevation is the
angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the '' vertex'' of the angle.
Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles a ...
between the
horizontal plane and the axial direction of the
barrel of a
gun
A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...
,
mortar or heavy
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
. Originally, elevation was a ''linear'' measure of how high the gunners had to physically lift the
muzzle of a gun up from the
gun carriage to compensate for projectile drop and hit targets at a certain distance.
Until WWI
Though early 20th-century firearms were relatively easy to fire, artillery was not. Before and during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the only way to effectively fire artillery was plotting points on a plane.
Most artillery units seldom employed their guns in small numbers. Instead of using pin-point artillery firing they used old means of "
fire for effect" using artillery en masse. This tactic was employed successfully by past armies.
By World War I, reasonably accurate artillery fire was possible even at long range requiring significant elevation. However, artillery tactics used in previous wars were carried on, and still had similar success where great accuracy was not required. Large
warships
A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster an ...
such as
battleships carried large-caliber guns that needed to be elevated above the direct point of aim for firing accurately at small targets at long range.
From WWII
As time passed on, more accurate artillery guns were developed in a range of sizes. Some small artillery pieces were used at high elevations as
mortars
Mortar may refer to:
* Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon
* Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together
* Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind
* Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...
, medium-sized guns were used on
tanks as well as fixed positions, and the largest guns became long-range land
batteries and battleship armaments.
With the introduction of better tanks in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, elevation had to be taken into account by tank gunners, which had to aim through the
Gunner's Auxiliary Sights (GAS) or even through
iron sights. At shorter ranges the high velocity of tank and other munitions made elevation less of an issue.
During World War II artillery
fire-control systems (FCS) were introduced, improving the effectiveness of artillery fire.
With advances in the 21st century, it has become easy to determine how much elevation a gun needed to hit a target. The
laser rangefinder and computer-based FCS make guns highly accurate.
Superelevation
When firing a
missile
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocke ...
such as a
MANPADS at an aircraft target, superelevation is an additional angle of elevation above the angle sighted on which corrects for the effect of gravity on the missile.
See also
*
Altitude (astronomy)
*
Pitching moment
References
* Gunnery Instructions, U.S. Navy (1913), Register No. 409
* Gunnery And Explosives For Artillery Officers (1911
* Fire Control Fundamentals, NAVPERS 91900 (1953), Part C: The Projectile in Flight - Exterior Ballistic
* FM 6-40, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Field Artillery Manual Cannon Gunnery (23 April 1996), Chapter 3 - Ballistics; Marine Corps Warfighting Publication No. 3-1.6.1
* FM 23-91, Mortar Gunnery (1 March 2000), Chapter 2 Fundamentals of Mortar Gunner
* Fundamentals of Naval Weapons Systems: Chapter 19 (Weapons and Systems Engineering Department United States Naval Academy
* Naval Ordnance and Gunnery (Vol.1 - Naval Ordnance) NAVPERS 10797-A (1957)
* Naval Ordnance and Gunnery (Vol.2 - Fire Control) NAVPERS 10798-A (1957)
* Naval Ordnance and Gunnery''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elevation (Ballistics)
Ballistics
Angle