ABSTRACT
Firepower contributes to a force's success either by making it possible for maneuver elements to accomplish their purposes or by preventing enemy forces from accomplishing theirs. The US Defense Department has estimated the firepower of a mortar barrage as four to five times that of an equal weight of artillery ammunition. Artillery's effectiveness is as much a result of the ways it is used as it is of numbers, quality and logistics. Employment procedures include locating and identifying suitable targets, allocating available firepower among them, and directing fire of battalions, batteries and individual weapons. Use of artillery includes pre-battle fire planning and allocation as well as direction of fire during battle. East and West follow different procedures in fire planning. A variety of other delivery vehicles can complement tube artillery in ground warfare. Both alliances use airborne firepower to complement artillery. Aircraft have the advantages of greater range and mobility than artillery, and in the case of helicopters, greater flexibility.
