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MOTIVE FORCE Arrow s, Darts , Spear s, and similar weapons are fired using pure mechanical force applied by another solid object; conversely, other weapons use the compression or expansion of gases as their motive force. Blowgun s and Pneumatic Rifle s use compressed gases, while most other Gun s and Firearm s utilize expanding gases liberated by sudden chemical reactions. Light Gas Gun s use a combination of these mechanisms. Railgun s utilize electromagnetic fields to provide a constant acceleration along the entire length of the device, greatly increasing the Muzzle Velocity . Some projectiles provide propulsion during (part of) the flight by means of a is a missile with rocket engines. BLUNT OR SHARP Although blowguns use small darts, most types of guns and firearms hurl Bullet s, pellets, or Shot made of a Metal , usually Lead , that are designed to deform and fragment inside a target, causing significant damage. Items like arrows, hand darts, and spears are generally tipped with sharp metallic or lithic artifacts called Projectile Point s that allow them to more easily penetrate a target, although some types of arrows used for hunting are designed to stun or kill through shock rather than to penetrate. Projectiles designed to be non-lethal, for example for use against Riot s, include Rubber Bullet s and Flexible Baton Round s. KINETIC PROJECTILES Some projectiles do ''not'' contain an explosive charge (as opposed to projectiles with explosive charge, such as Shell s). They are termed ''kinetic projectile'', ''kinetic energy weapon'' or ''kinetic penetrator''. The classic kinetic energy weapon is the '' Bullet ''. Among projectiles which do not contain explosives are Railgun s, Mass Driver s, and Kinetic Energy Penetrator s, in addition to smaller weapons such as bullets. All of these weapons work by attaining a high Muzzle Velocity ( Hypervelocity ), and Collide with their objective, releasing Kinetic Energy . Some kinetic weapons for targeting objects in Spaceflight are Anti-satellite Weapon s and Anti-ballistic Missile s. Since they need to attain a high velocity anyway, they can destroy their target with their released kinetic energy alone; explosives are not necessary. Compare the energy of TNT , 4.6 MJ/kg, to the energy of a kinetic kill vehicle with a closing speed of 10 km/s, which is 50 MJ/kg. This saves costly weight and there is no Detonation to be done at the right time, but on the other hand it requires a more accurate hit. With regard to anti-missile weapons, the Arrow Missile and MIM-104 Patriot have explosives, but of the KEI, LEAP, and THAAD being developed, none has (see Missile Defense Agency ). See also Hypervelocity Terminal Ballistics , Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV). A kinetic projectile can be dropped from aircraft. This is applied by replacing the explosives of a regular bomb e.g. by concrete, for a precision hit with less Collateral Damage . A typical bomb has e.g. a mass of 900 kg and a speed of impact of 800 km/h (220 m/s). It is also applied for training the act of dropping a bomb with explosives. {Link without Title} A Kinetic Bombardment may involve a projectile dropped from Earth orbit. For a fictional kinetic weapon, see Relativistic Kill Vehicle . TYPICAL PROJECTILE SPEEDS See also Orders Of Magnitude (speed) , Muzzle Velocity . MISCELLANEOUS Ballistics analyses the projectile Trajectory , the forces acting upon the projectile, and the impact that a projectile has on a target. A Guided Missile is not called a projectile. An explosion, whether or not by a weapon, causes the debris to act as multiple high velocity projectiles. An explosive weapon, or device may also be designed to produce many high velocity projectiles by the break-up of its casing, these are correctly termed Fragments . The term projectile also refers to Weapons or any other objects thrown, shot or otherwise directed to Enemies in video games or computer games. SEE ALSO |
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