Conventional Weapon

A Conventional Weapon is a weapon that is in relatively wide use that are not weapons of mass destruction and relies on chemical energy rather than nuclear energy for its explosive force.

• AKA: Conventional Arms, Traditional Weapon.
• Context:
  • It can (typically) utilize explosive materials and kinetic energy for target destruction.
  • It can (typically) be employed by regular military forces in conventional warfare.
  • It can (typically) follow international laws and military conventions for weapon usage.
  • ...
  • It can (often) be manufactured by defense industry using standardized production.
  • It can (often) require specific military training for proper weapon operation.
  • It can (often) need regular maintenance and ammunition resupply.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Small Conventional Weapon to being a Heavy Conventional Weapon, depending on its weapon size.
  • It can range from being a Short Range Conventional Weapon to being a Long Range Conventional Weapon, depending on its effective range.
  • It can range from being a Low Yield Conventional Weapon to being a High Yield Conventional Weapon, depending on its explosive power.
  • ...
  • It can be governed by various international treaties including the Geneva Conventions, Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and Arms Trade Treaty.
  • It can be subject to export controls and arms regulations for international trade.
  • It can require specific storage protocols for weapon safety and security measures.
  • It can involve maintenance procedures for operational readiness and reliability assurance.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Personal Weapons, such as:
    • Small Arms, such as:
      • Military Rifles for infantry combat.
      • Military Pistols for personal defense.
      • Military Shotguns for close combat.
    • Light Weapons, such as:
      • Machine Guns for suppressive fire.
      • Grenade Launchers for area denial.
      • Anti-Tank Weapons for armor penetration.
  • Heavy Weapons, such as:
    • Artillery Systems, such as:
      • Field Guns for direct fire support.
      • Howitzers for indirect fire support.
      • Mortars for infantry support.
    • Rocket Systems, such as:
      • Multiple Launch Rocket Systems for area saturation.
      • Anti-Tank Guided Missiles for armor destruction.
  • Vehicle-Mounted Weapons, such as:
    • Tank Guns for armored warfare.
    • Aircraft Cannons for air combat.
    • Naval Guns for naval warfare.
  • Explosive Devices, such as:
    • Land Mines for area denial.
    • Naval Mines for maritime interdiction.
    • Aerial Bombs for air-to-ground attack.
    • Artillery Shells for indirect fire.
    • Cluster Munitions for area effect.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Weapon of Mass Destruction, such as a nuclear weapon, which uses nuclear rather than chemical energy.
  • Chemical Weapon, which uses toxic substances rather than explosive force.
  • Biological Weapon, which uses pathogenic organisms rather than conventional explosives.
  • Radiological Weapon, which spreads radioactive material rather than using conventional explosives.
  • Directed Energy Weapon, which uses focused energy rather than chemical explosives.
• See: Arms Trade Treaty, Biological Agent, Chemical Weapon, Small Arms, Naval Mine, Aerial Bomb, Shell (Projectile), Rocket (Weapon), Military Ordnance, Explosive Material, Weapon System, Arms Control.

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References

2017

• (Wikipedia, 2017) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/conventional_weapon Retrieved:2017-4-26.
  • The terms conventional weapons or conventional arms generally refer to weapons that are in relatively wide use that are not weapons of mass destruction (e.g. nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons). Any armament used in crimes, conflicts or wars are categorized as Conventional weapons and includes small arms and light weapons, sea and land mines, as well as (non-weapons of mass destruction) bombs, shells, rockets, missiles, cluster munitions, SALW fuel intrastate conflicts, human rights violations, domestic and transnational crime etc. These weapons use explosive material based on chemical energy, as opposed to nuclear energy in nuclear weapons.

    The acceptable use of all types of conventional weapons in war time is governed by the Geneva Conventions. Certain types of conventional weapons are also regulated or prohibited under the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Others are prohibited under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Ottawa Treaty (also known as the Mine Ban Treaty) and Arms Trade Treaty.

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