Field of fire
The field of fire or zone of fire of a weapon, or group of weapons, is the area around it that can easily and effectively be reached by projectiles from a given position.Field of fire
The term originally came from the field of fire in front of forts, cleared so there was no shelter for an approaching enemy.Sector of fire
A similar term sector of fire is used to describe the area into which each gunner or group are allowed to fire. The boundaries are assigned by the commanding officer and thus can be arbitrary, even three-dimensional.Arc of fire
The arc of fire of a mounted gun is a horizontal angle range within which the gun can be fired. It can be limited by the construction of the gun mount or obstacles. If there are no restrictions, the term all-round arc of fire is sometimes used. Overlapping arcs of fire create a crossfire.The cone of fire describes a cone-like pattern formed by the projectiles with the gun not being moved. It is mostly used in reference to machine guns. The spread of rounds is due to vibration of the gun, tolerances of the ammunition and weapon, and the gunner's posture. For a typical machine gun, the spread between bullets is proportional to the distance. The cone of fire makes impact in an elliptical pattern called the beaten zone.Danger space
When firing over terrain, any space up to 1.8 m above the ground is considered danger space; that is, within the effects of the rounds. For small arms fire, when the distance to the beaten zone is up to approximately 700 m, on a flat terrain the danger zone is contiguous. The area that cannot be seen or aimed at within the gun's range is referred to as dead space. It is sometimes possible to send projectiles into the dead space using the indirect fire.