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Fire arrow
Fire arrows were one of the earliest forms of weaponized gunpowder, being used from the 9th century onward. Not to be confused with earlier incendiary arrow projectiles, the fire arrow was a gunpowder weapon which receives its name from the translated Chinese term huǒjiàn (火箭), which literally means fire arrow. In China, a 'fire arrow' referred to a gunpowder projectile consisting of a bag of incendiary gunpowder attached to the shaft of an arrow. Fire arrows are the predecessors of fire lances, the first firearm.
Later rockets utilizing gunpowder were used to provide arrows with propulsive force and the term fire arrow became synonymous with rockets in the Chinese language. In other languages such as Sanskrit, 'fire arrow' (agni astra) underwent a different semantic shift and became synonymous with 'cannon'.
Although the fire arrow is most commonly associated with its rocket mechanism, it originally consisted of a pouch of gunpowder attached to an arrow. This type of fire arrow served the function of an incendiary and was launched using a bow or crossbow.
According to the Wujing Zongyao the fire arrow was constructed and used in the following manner:
Behind the arrow head wrap up some gunpowder with two or three layers of soft paper, and bind it to the arrow shaft in a lump shaped like a pomegranate. Cover it with a piece of hemp cloth tightly tied, and sealed fast with molten pine resin. Light the fuse and then shoot it off from a bow.
Incendiary gunpowder weapons had an advantage over previous incendiaries by using their own built-in oxygen supply to create flames, and were therefore harder to put out, similar to Greek fire. However, unlike Greek fire, gunpowder's physical properties are solid rather than liquid, which makes it easier to store and load.
The rocket propelled fire arrow appeared later. By the mid-14th century, rocket arrow launchers had appeared in the Ming dynasty and later on mobile rocket arrow launchers that were utilized in China and later spread to Korea. The fire arrows propelled by gunpowder may have had a range of up to 1,000 ft (300 m).
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Fire arrow
Fire arrows were one of the earliest forms of weaponized gunpowder, being used from the 9th century onward. Not to be confused with earlier incendiary arrow projectiles, the fire arrow was a gunpowder weapon which receives its name from the translated Chinese term huǒjiàn (火箭), which literally means fire arrow. In China, a 'fire arrow' referred to a gunpowder projectile consisting of a bag of incendiary gunpowder attached to the shaft of an arrow. Fire arrows are the predecessors of fire lances, the first firearm.
Later rockets utilizing gunpowder were used to provide arrows with propulsive force and the term fire arrow became synonymous with rockets in the Chinese language. In other languages such as Sanskrit, 'fire arrow' (agni astra) underwent a different semantic shift and became synonymous with 'cannon'.
Although the fire arrow is most commonly associated with its rocket mechanism, it originally consisted of a pouch of gunpowder attached to an arrow. This type of fire arrow served the function of an incendiary and was launched using a bow or crossbow.
According to the Wujing Zongyao the fire arrow was constructed and used in the following manner:
Behind the arrow head wrap up some gunpowder with two or three layers of soft paper, and bind it to the arrow shaft in a lump shaped like a pomegranate. Cover it with a piece of hemp cloth tightly tied, and sealed fast with molten pine resin. Light the fuse and then shoot it off from a bow.
Incendiary gunpowder weapons had an advantage over previous incendiaries by using their own built-in oxygen supply to create flames, and were therefore harder to put out, similar to Greek fire. However, unlike Greek fire, gunpowder's physical properties are solid rather than liquid, which makes it easier to store and load.
The rocket propelled fire arrow appeared later. By the mid-14th century, rocket arrow launchers had appeared in the Ming dynasty and later on mobile rocket arrow launchers that were utilized in China and later spread to Korea. The fire arrows propelled by gunpowder may have had a range of up to 1,000 ft (300 m).
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