Chapter 8
Modern Weapons: Possibilities
and Limitations
8.1 A Brief History of Weapons
8.1.1 Introduction
The entire human history is inseparable from the history of development of weapons
(Fig. 8.1). At the dawn of humanity, primitive tools were used as weapons (clubs,
stone, clay, and bone knives), later followed by spears, bows, and arrows. This is a
paradox: for modern weapons, weapons are nothing but tools of the trade.
The first weapons emerged in the primitive society (clubs, wooden spears, bows,
etc.). After that, knives, bronze, and iron swords and spears were created (the socalled cold arms). The discovery of gunpowder led to creation of firearms in the
Arabic countries in the twelfth century and in Russia and Western Europe in the fourteenth century. In the sixteenth century, the first samples of rifled weapons (arquebus,
rifle gun, etc.) were created. In the middle of the nineteenth century, mines and
torpedoes were adopted by armies and fleets. In the second half of the nineteenth
century, rapid-fire weapons appeared, which were followed by automatic weapons
(cannon, machine gun, etc.) and mortars. During World War I, tanks, planes, and
aircraft weapons were used, as well as aviation and submarine bombs, etc. During
the war, German troops used chemical weapons (chlorine, mustard, etc.). During
World War II, self-propelled units, rocket launchers (“Katyusha”), etc. were used.
In 1944, German troops began using V-1 guided missile aircraft and V-2 ballistic
missiles; and in August 1945, the United States first used nuclear weapons.
Today, military specialists use the term “weapons” to refer to devices and means
used to defeat or destroy the enemy. In most cases, a weapon is a combination of
means of direct destruction (bullet, projectile, bomb, etc.) and the means of their
delivery to the target (handgun, cannon, plane, missile, etc.), as well as control and
guidance means and devices.
Military specialists classify modern weapons based on the following specific
features:
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Belous and V. Saladukha, Viruses, Hardware and Software Trojans,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47218-4_8
731
Modern Weapons: Possibilities
and Limitations
8.1 A Brief History of Weapons
8.1.1 Introduction
The entire human history is inseparable from the history of development of weapons
(Fig. 8.1). At the dawn of humanity, primitive tools were used as weapons (clubs,
stone, clay, and bone knives), later followed by spears, bows, and arrows. This is a
paradox: for modern weapons, weapons are nothing but tools of the trade.
The first weapons emerged in the primitive society (clubs, wooden spears, bows,
etc.). After that, knives, bronze, and iron swords and spears were created (the socalled cold arms). The discovery of gunpowder led to creation of firearms in the
Arabic countries in the twelfth century and in Russia and Western Europe in the fourteenth century. In the sixteenth century, the first samples of rifled weapons (arquebus,
rifle gun, etc.) were created. In the middle of the nineteenth century, mines and
torpedoes were adopted by armies and fleets. In the second half of the nineteenth
century, rapid-fire weapons appeared, which were followed by automatic weapons
(cannon, machine gun, etc.) and mortars. During World War I, tanks, planes, and
aircraft weapons were used, as well as aviation and submarine bombs, etc. During
the war, German troops used chemical weapons (chlorine, mustard, etc.). During
World War II, self-propelled units, rocket launchers (“Katyusha”), etc. were used.
In 1944, German troops began using V-1 guided missile aircraft and V-2 ballistic
missiles; and in August 1945, the United States first used nuclear weapons.
Today, military specialists use the term “weapons” to refer to devices and means
used to defeat or destroy the enemy. In most cases, a weapon is a combination of
means of direct destruction (bullet, projectile, bomb, etc.) and the means of their
delivery to the target (handgun, cannon, plane, missile, etc.), as well as control and
guidance means and devices.
Military specialists classify modern weapons based on the following specific
features:
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
A. Belous and V. Saladukha, Viruses, Hardware and Software Trojans,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47218-4_8
731