Counterbattery

Counterbattery refers to the set of military measures aimed at detecting, locating, and neutralizing an adversary's artillery and rocket units after they have fired. The goal is to reduce the opponent's indirect fire capability, protect friendly forces, and limit collateral damage by destroying or suppressing guns, mortars, rocket launchers, and their firing positions.

Core elements of counterbattery include target acquisition, fire control, and effect assessment. Detection methods encompass acoustic sensors (sound-ranging systems), radar-based artillery locating systems, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets such as observers, drones, and aircraft. Once a firing solution is obtained, a counterfire mission is planned and executed using artillery, missiles, rockets, or air-delivered munitions, with rapid cycles often described as shoot-and-scoot.

Operational challenges include the need to avoid friendly-fire incidents, rapid enemy mobility and change of positions, and countermeasures such as camouflage, decoys, or electronic jamming. Environmental factors, limited sensor coverage, and the risk of misidentification can complicate target confirmation. Effective counterbattery requires integrated planning, real-time data fusion, and secure communications between sensors, fire-control centers, and shooters.