Term of the day

Grenade launcher

A grenade launcher is a weapon that launches a grenade greater distances, more accurately, and faster than a soldier could throw by hand.

Term of the day

Bombard

A bombard is a type of medieval cannon or mortar, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls. The modern term bombardment derives from this.

Term of the day

Mortar

A mortar is a muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.

Term of the day

Hoplite

The hoplite was a heavy infantryman that was the central focus of warfare in Ancient Greece.

Term of the day

Phalanx

A phalanx (plural phalanxes or phalanges) is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, or similar weapons. The troops were disciplined to hold a line which created a nearly impenetrable forest of points to the front.

Term of the day

Flower Wars

A flower war or "Flowery war" is the name given to the battles fought between the Aztec Triple Alliance and some of their enemies: most notably the city-states of Tlaxcala, Huexotzinco, Atlixco and Cholula.

Term of the day

Greek fire

Greek fire was a burning-liquid weapon used by the Byzantine Greeks, Chinese, Mongols, and Arabs. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning even on water.

Term of the day

Bazooka

The bazooka is a man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher, made famous during World War II where it was one of the primary infantry anti-tank weapons used by the United States Armed Forces.

Term of the day

Napalm

Napalm is any of a number of flammable liquids used in warfare, often jellied gasoline. Napalm is actually the thickener in such liquids, which when mixed with gasoline makes a sticky incendiary gel.

Term of the day

Hussar

Hussar (original Hungarian spelling: huszár, plural huszárok, Polish: Husaria) refers to a number of types of cavalry used throughout Europe since the 15th century. Some modern military units retain the title 'hussar' for reasons of tradition.

Term of the day

Dragoon

Dragoon is the traditional name for a soldier trained to fight on foot but transport himself on horseback, in use especially during the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Term of the day

Situational Awareness

Situational awareness (SA) is the mental representation and understanding of objects, events, people, system states, interactions, environmental conditions, and other situation-specific factors affecting human performance in complex and dynamic tasks.

Term of the day

Unconventional Warfare

Unconventional warfare (UW) is the opposite of conventional warfare. Where conventional warfare seeks to reduce an opponent's military capability, unconventional warfare is an attempt to achieve military victory through acquiescence, capitulation, or clandestine support for one side of an existing conflict. On the surface, UW contrasts with conventional warfare in that: forces or objectives are covert or not well-defined, tactics and weapons intensify environments of subversion or intimidation, and the general or long-term goals are coercive or subversive to a political body.

Term of the day

Wire Obstacle

In the military science of fortification, wire obstacles are defensive obstacles made from barbed wire, barbed tape or concertina wire. They are designed to disrupt or delay an attacking enemy. Depending on the requirements and available resources, wire obstacles may range from a simple barbed wire fence in front of a defensive position, to elaborate patterns of fences, concertinas, 'dragon's teeth' and minefields hundreds of metres thick.

Term of the day

Shrapnel

Shrapnel is the term commonly used to describe the metal fragments and debris thrown out by any exploding object, be it a high explosive (HE) filled shell or a homemade bomb wrapped with nails or ball bearings.