Definition

Noun: * Artillery fire at a steep elevation: A method of firing a cannon or artillery piece where the barrel is elevated to a steep angle, significantly greater than the angle required to achieve the maximum horizontal range. This results in a high, arcing trajectory for the projectile.

Usage

• High-angle fire is used to attack targets that are not in a direct line of sight, such as those behind hills, fortifications, or within trenches.
• Modern howitzers are designed to provide effective high-angle fire.
• The battery was ordered to commence high-angle fire over the ridge.

Advanced Usage

• High-angle fire is contrasted with or , where the weapon is aimed directly at a visible target.
• This term is primarily used in military contexts, specifically in artillery and naval gunnery.

Variants and Related Words

• High-angle (adjective): Describing something related to or involving a steep angle of elevation (e.g., a shot).
• Indirect fire (noun): A broader term for firing at a target that is not visible to the shooter, which often, but not always, involves high-angle fire.
• Howitzer (noun): A type of artillery piece characterized by its ability to fire shells at high angles.
• Mortar (noun): A weapon that fires projectiles at very high angles, exclusively using high-angle fire.

Synonyms

• Plunging fire: Fire that descends upon a target from a steep angle.
• Curved fire: Fire that follows a pronounced arc (less common technical synonym).

Antonyms

• Direct fire: Fire aimed directly at a target within the line of sight.
• Flat-trajectory fire: Fire where the projectile's path is nearly straight and flat.

Noun

1. fire from a cannon that is fired at an elevation greater than that for the maximum range