The field of fire or zone of fire (ZF) of a

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 ...

, or group of weapons, is the area around it that can easily and effectively be reached by

projectiles A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found i ...

from a given position.

Field of fire

The term originally came from the ''field of fire'' in front of

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

s (and similar defensive positions), cleared so there was no shelter for an approaching enemy.

Sector of fire

A similar term sector of fire is used to describe the area into which each gunner or group are ''allowed'' to fire. The boundaries are assigned by the commanding officer and thus can be arbitrary, even three-dimensional (a rifleman attacking a building might be assigned a set of windows to target).

Arc of fire

The arc of fire of a

mounted gun A weapon mount is an assembly or mechanism used to hold a weapon (typically a gun) onto a platform in order for it to function at maximum capacity. Weapon mounts can be broken down into two categories: static mounts and non-static mounts. Stati ...

is a horizontal (" traverse") angle range within which the gun (or guns) can be fired. It can be limited by the construction of the

gun mount A weapon mount is an assembly or mechanism used to hold a weapon (typically a gun) onto a platform in order for it to function at maximum capacity. Weapon mounts can be broken down into two categories: static mounts and non-static mounts. Stati ...

or obstacles (for example,

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

of a ship). If there are no restrictions, the term ''all-round arc of fire'' is sometimes used. Overlapping arcs of fire create a

crossfire A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I. ...

Cone of fire

The cone of fire describes a cone-like pattern formed by the projectiles with the gun not being moved. It is mostly used in reference to machine guns. The spread of rounds is due to vibration of the gun, tolerances of the ammunition and weapon, and the gunner's posture. For a typical machine gun, the spread between bullets is proportional to the distance (for example, the width of the cone for M240G is of the distance). The cone of fire makes impact in an elliptical pattern called the beaten zone.

Danger space

When firing over terrain, any space up to 1.8 m above the ground (the height of an average man) is considered danger space; that is, within the effects of the rounds. For small arms fire, when the distance to the beaten zone is up to approximately 700 m, on a flat terrain the danger zone is contiguous (the trajectory of the round is never above the height of a man). The area that cannot be seen or aimed at within the gun's range (usually due to the terrain) is referred to as

dead space ''Dead Space'' is a science fiction horror franchise created and directed by Glen Schofield. ''Dead Space'' was developed by Visceral Games and published and owned by Electronic Arts. The franchise's chronology is not presented in a linear format ...

. It is sometimes possible to send projectiles into the dead space using the

indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting ...

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{cite book , last1=USMC , title=B3N4478 Machine Gun Employment , publisher=US Marine Corps , url=https://www.trngcmd.marines.mil/Portals/207/Docs/TBS/B3N4478%20Machine%20Gun%20Employment.pdf Weapon operation