Ammunition

An example of ammunition is the firearm cartridge, which includes all components required to deliver the weapon effect in a single package.

Ammunition comes in a great range of sizes and types and is often designed to work only in specific weapons systems.

Armor-piercing rounds are specially hardened to penetrate armor, while smoke ammunition covers an area with a fog that screens people from view.

The components of ammunition intended for rifles and munitions may be divided into these categories: The term fuze refers to the detonator of an explosive round or shell.

In the event of a fire or explosion, the site and its surrounding area is immediately evacuated and the stored ammunition is left to detonate itself completely with limited attempts at firefighting from a safe distance.

Typically, an ammunition dump will have a large buffer zone surrounding it, to avoid casualties in the event of an accident.

There will also be perimeter security measures in place to prevent access by unauthorized personnel and to guard against the potential threat from enemy forces.

Common types of artillery ammunition include high explosive, smoke, illumination, and practice rounds.

Artillery ammunition will almost always include a projectile (the only exception being demonstration or blank rounds), fuze and propellant of some form.

Modern naval engagements have occurred over far longer distances than historic battles, so as ship armor has increased in strength and thickness, the ammunition to defeat it has also changed.

Naval ammunition is now designed to reach very high velocities (to improve its armor-piercing abilities) and may have specialized fuzes to defeat specific types of vessels.

However, due to the extended ranges at which modern naval combat may occur, guided missiles have largely supplanted guns and shells.

With every successive improvement in military arms, a corresponding modification has occurred in the method of supplying ammunition in the quantity required.

The weight of ammunition required, particularly for artillery shells, can be considerable, causing a need for extra time to replenish supplies.

As of 2013,[update] lead-based ammunition production is the second-largest annual use of lead in the US, accounting for over 60,000 metric tons consumed in 2012.

[5] Lead bullets that miss their target or remain in a carcass or body that was never retrieved can enter environmental systems and become toxic to wildlife.

Unexploded ammunition can remain active for a very long time and poses a significant threat to both humans and the environment.