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Weapons platform
 
 
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A weapons platform is generally any structure or system on which a weapon
Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply or threaten to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack or defense in combat, subduing enemy personnel, or to destroy enemy weapons, equipment and defensive structures....
 can be mounted. For example, a fighter jet is a weapons platform for missile
Missile

A guided missile is a self-propelled projectile used as a weapon. Missiles are typically propelled by rockets or jet engines. Missiles generally have one or more explosive warheads, although other weapon types may also be used....
s or bomb
Bomb

A bomb is any of a range of explosive devices that typically rely on the exothermic chemical reaction of an explosive material to produce an extremely sudden and violent release of energy....
s. Other vehicles such as the HMMWV
High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle

The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle is a military Four-wheel drive motor vehicle created by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles formerly served by the M151 1/4 ton MUTT, the Gama Goat, their M718A1 and M792 ambulance versions, the CUCV, and other light trucks with the Military of the United States, as well as being...
 ("Humvee" or "Hummer") are considered weapons platforms as well, such as for grenade launcher
Grenade launcher

A grenade launcher is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
s or machine gun
Machine gun

A machine gun is a Automatic firearm mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire List of rifle cartridgess in quick succession from an Belt or large-capacity Magazine , typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s. The term can describe a naval vessel as well, or an actual firearm system. In more general use, a weapons platform could be structured around a gun
GUN

Gun is a Revisionist Western-themed video game developed by Neversoft. It was published by Activision for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2....
, such as a turret
Turret

In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of fort....
 on a ship
Ship

A ship is a large watercraft that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the ferry or cargo ships, fishing, cruise ship, Coast guard, and warship....
, or bracing on an aircraft
Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
.






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A weapons platform is generally any structure or system on which a weapon
Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply or threaten to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack or defense in combat, subduing enemy personnel, or to destroy enemy weapons, equipment and defensive structures....
 can be mounted. For example, a fighter jet is a weapons platform for missile
Missile

A guided missile is a self-propelled projectile used as a weapon. Missiles are typically propelled by rockets or jet engines. Missiles generally have one or more explosive warheads, although other weapon types may also be used....
s or bomb
Bomb

A bomb is any of a range of explosive devices that typically rely on the exothermic chemical reaction of an explosive material to produce an extremely sudden and violent release of energy....
s. Other vehicles such as the HMMWV
High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle

The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle is a military Four-wheel drive motor vehicle created by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles formerly served by the M151 1/4 ton MUTT, the Gama Goat, their M718A1 and M792 ambulance versions, the CUCV, and other light trucks with the Military of the United States, as well as being...
 ("Humvee" or "Hummer") are considered weapons platforms as well, such as for grenade launcher
Grenade launcher

A grenade launcher is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
s or machine gun
Machine gun

A machine gun is a Automatic firearm mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire List of rifle cartridgess in quick succession from an Belt or large-capacity Magazine , typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s. The term can describe a naval vessel as well, or an actual firearm system. In more general use, a weapons platform could be structured around a gun
GUN

Gun is a Revisionist Western-themed video game developed by Neversoft. It was published by Activision for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2....
, such as a turret
Turret

In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of fort....
 on a ship
Ship

A ship is a large watercraft that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the ferry or cargo ships, fishing, cruise ship, Coast guard, and warship....
, or bracing on an aircraft
Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
. In addition, satellites in space could carry weapons. Such satellites could carry an arsenal of weapons such as to threaten other countries with a possible threat of nuclear war.

The earliest such platforms were chariot
Chariot

The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Chariots were built in Mesopotamia by the Mesopotamians as early as 3000 BC and in China during the 2nd millennium BC....
s, followed by war-wagon
Wagon

A wagon or dray is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle. Wagons were formerly pulled by animals such as horse, mule or ox. Today farm wagons are pulled by tractors and trucks....
s. The next attempt to mount weapons on platforms was made at sea, with catapults and eventually cannon mounted on their final form as ship of the line
Ship of the line

A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century, to take part in the Naval tactics in the Age of Sail known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would maneuver to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear....
 before the advent of the ironclad ships mounting turrets.

On land the attempt to mount weapons on mobile platforms in the modern period was first made with rail guns
Railway gun

A railway gun, also called railroad gun is a large artillery piece, designed to be placed on rail tracks. Many countries have built railway guns, but the best known are the large Krupp-built pieces used by Germany in World War I and World War II....
. These, as forms of artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
, were the last vestiges of development of the super-weapon thinking before the advent of the tank
Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
s that changed use of weapons platforms in warfare, although the largest rail guns were still used during the Second World War on the Eastern Front.