Artillery

For self-propelled artillery, see Mobile artillery. For vehicles specifically carrying anti-aircraft weapons, see Mobile Anti-Air.

10th Mountain Division M777 Artillery emplacement firing.

Artillery is a military combat arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large, explosive projectiles in combat. Artillery is used often in the Battlefield series.

Battlefield 1942

Artillery in Battlefield 1942 is manually fired by players, however they are fired the same way as any other vehicle, though it can be difficult to aim and fire these vehicles, as the shells are lobbed out and arc towards the target.

Artillery gunners can be assisted by friendly Scouts spotting enemies using their binoculars. After an enemy location has been spotted, the gunner can switch to a special interface, which helps in placing shots more accurately, even at very long ranges.

• PAK 40
• Defgun
• QF 25 pdr (Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome)

Battlefield Vietnam

Artillery in Battlefield Vietnam functions in the same way it does in Battlefield 1942. It's less useful, however, due to the reduced blast radius of shells.

• M-46

Battlefield 2

Artillery in Battlefield 2

The Artillery Strike is one of the commander resources introduced in Battlefield 2. Instead of artillery being operated by rank-and-file players, it is called in by a team's commander using his overhead map. The actual artillery guns are stationary, usually within the team's main base. If they are destroyed by a Special Forces' explosives or a well-aimed bombing run, the commander will be unable to call artillery until at least one of the guns have been repaired. Artillery strikes are very deadly to the enemy, especially infantry, as single shell will instantly kill an infantryman. These barrages are also lethal to vehicles as well, as vehicles such as a Tank or APC can be destroyed within seconds from a single barrage.

The number of Artillery Guns present (and hence the number of rounds fired) is determined by the size of the map. On a 16-sized map, a range of 2-3 gun will be present, depending on what the map is. On a 32 or 64-sized map, there will be 3 artillery guns present, and will fire about twice as many shells when compared with a 2-gun Artillery strike.

Previously, commanders could lose points for teamkilling with artillery, but did not gain points for killing the other team with artillery. This was changed by a patch that no longer made commanders be 'punished' for teamkills with artillery.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

Artillery firing in Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.

Artillery in Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is accessed through the use of the Command Computer. The Command Computer is generally only found on Head-On-type Conquest maps such as Backstab and Russian Border, but it is also found on Special Op, an assault-type map.

At the start of the match, the Command Computer has a three-minute delay until it becomes active. As soon as a player uses it on a target, it will take four and a half minutes to reload, allowing it to be used up to a total of four times in a standard 20 minute match.

When using the Command Computer, the player will be shown an overhead image of the map and a cursor which they can move around with the left analog stick. The cursor will mark where the artillery strike will fire. Once the player finds the position they like, they just need to press the "fire weapon" button/trigger. The camera will then circle the chosen area while the artillery strike launches. At any point during the strike, the player may press the action button while the strike launches.

Any kills obtained count towards the players score, as do vehicle kills. However, teammates can be hit and killed by the strike as well, causing the player who used the Command Computer to lose points. Therefore, it is advised that any player using the Command Computer to warn their team where they are firing to avoid a loss of points and tickets for their team.

Battlefield 2142

Artillery mostly remains a commander asset in Battlefield 2142, in the form of Orbital Strike and EMP Strike capabilities. The strikes are called down from satellites, though the commander needs the appropriate ground-based station in operational condition to issue the order. An orbital strike mission consists of up to 15 seconds of continuous saturation by high-velocity projectiles. An EMP strike mission consists of two massive pulses about two seconds apart, with much more range than any of the infantry EMP options.

The APCs available in Battlefield 2142 both feature mortar platforms that fire a salvo of three shells.

Battlefield: Bad Company

Artillery Gun Firing

Artillery in Battlefield: Bad Company is now fired manually by players but it is much easier compared to the artillery guns in Battlefield Vietnam and in Battlefield 1942. Unlike the Artillery from previous games, the Artillery Gun loads significantly faster than the previous games, but fires only 5-8 Artillery Shells at the target. However, the shells form a considerably tight group in and around the target area.

Singleplayer

Artillery guns can be found on several missions, they usually have very limited range and are only used for a brief period.

Appearances

• Welcome to Bad Company
• Ghost Town

Multiplayer

Artillery is an important asset mainly for Gold Rush, as it only makes one appearance in Conquest. Its effectiveness is severely limited by its short range and its location makes it an easy target for AH-64 Apaches and Mil Mi-28 Havocs.

The artillery strike fires five destructive rounds, and it usually destroys everything in its target area. The ground is deformed, objects are obliterated and buildings are stripped of their walls. Any vehicle caught in an artillery strike will be instantly destroyed, which is especially useful against heavy armour or emplacements.

The cannon has cooldown of around 45 seconds, and it can only target certain areas. If a player tries to aim out of range, the screen will display static.

If a friendly artillery strike is called upon the player's position, they will be warned to vacate the area.

Gold Rush

• Oasis
• Valley Run
• Harvest Day
• End of the Line

Conquest

• End of the Line

Artillery gun sights.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, players may make use of the Mortar Strike to call in a barrage.

Artillery can be seen used against enemy warships outside of the combat zone, such as in the map Isla Inocentes.

Battlefield 3

Instances of scripted artillery are seen in Battlefield 3 multiplayer, such as the strike opening the way underground in Operation Métro Rush, and the strike that knocks down the radio tower in Caspian Border Conquest.

Battlefield 1

Artillery is a major feature of Battlefield 1. Artillery can be found in many different forms in the game. The most common form of artillery is those found on emplacements and mounted on vehicles, Coastal Artillery, and several others.

Rush

As the defending team, an artillery barrage can be called upon the attacking team by interacting with the objectives (telegraph post). Artillery shells will only strike those who were still spotted during the coordinates transmission. Artillery barrage are highly accurate and will strike the current location of the spotted enemies. A scripted artillery barrage also appears during changing of objectives. This scripted artillery barrage has no effect.

War Pigeons

An Artillery Barrage will be called upon the opposing team every time a carrier pigeon is successfully released, similar to the artillery barrage in Rush. The difference being that the shells will strike all on the opposing team whether they have been spotted or not.

Vehicles

The Armored Artillery Truck offers three loadouts capable of engaging enemies with short-range artillery.

The Armored Train and Dreadnought each offer two positions capable of using longer-range artillery guns. The Armored Train's first two cars each have a 75mm gun firing in indirect fire mode. The Dreadnought offers two pairs of 13.5-inch gun turrets to the driver and second-seat gunner.

The Saint-Chamond assault tank can use a Carrier Pigeon to call in an artillery strike onto its own position when using the Field Assault Package.

Both the L-Class Destroyer and C-Class Airship have access to the Dreadnought barrage ability, which calls in an off-map artillery bombardment on a designated point.

Emplacements

The FK 96 and QF 1 AA emplacements provide short-range defense. Coastal Artillery, in the form of the Fortress Gun, Coastal Gun Battery, SK45 Coastal Cannon and BL 9.2 Siege Gun, provides long-range artillery.

Frontlines

Similar to their use in Rush, both teams have access to telegraph posts to call in strikes on spotted targets. They are available throughout the entire round, and their destruction serves as the ultimate objective of both teams.

Elite Classes

The Infiltrator has access to a special flare gun that summons an artillery strike to the position it lands at.

Battlefield V

Artillery is a feature of Battlefield V. Artillery can be found in two forms: as a function of objectives in the Airborne gamemode and as a Squad Reinforcement.

Airborne

In Airborne, the defending team can interact with the four artillery guns they are tasked with defending to call artillery strikes on the opposing team. Artillery shells will only strike those who were still spotted during the coordinates transmission. It takes around 45 seconds for the gun to be able to to shoot again.

Squad Reinforcement

Sector Artillery is a squad reinforcement that was introduced in the second Tides of War chapter, Lightning Strikes on March 7, 2019. The squad reinforcement becomes available for 17,750 squad points. After marking a location with binoculars, a barrage of artillery will strike the location.

Trivia

• In Battlefield V, objective artillery guns and telegraphs could initially be used to call in artillery strikes in any game mode, including Frontlines and Rush. This was removed some time after the Sector Artillery squad reinforcement was added.