The thesis is devoted to solution of scientific task for clarification of psychological peculiarities of practical thinking development of artillery officers of the tactical level of management throughout their main activity – fire missions performance. The relevance of task is caused by the modern trends of the armed struggle maintenance, the constant increase in pace of warfare, the high level of autonomy of artillery units, the hybrid and asymmetric character of the conduct of hostilities as well as the increase in the number of artillery in the general system of fire defeat of the enemy. The analysis and generalisation of combat experience, the modern demands to training and combat emoloyment of troops (forces), based on the NATO principles and standards, the combat and special training of personnel, improvement of their professional competence indicate that the pressing challenge now is to develop practical thinking of artillery officers.
The analysis and generalisation of theoretical sources concerning the problem of psychological support of the professional activity of military professionals has made it possible to state that the psychological support of development of their professional competence is insufficiently scientifically sustained, and there is no researches on the professional activity of artillery officers.
It was found out, that the definition «practical thinking» is a psychological category with methodological and theoretical foundations, psychological regularities, mechanisms, peculiarities of function and development, as well as its own psychological content.
It was defined, that the practical thinking of professionals in the psychological science was studied in several stages: the main attention was focused on visual active thinking and practical intelligence at the first stage; methodological and theoretical foundations of understanding its nature were sustained at the second stage; during the third stage, psychological mechnisms of practical thinking, features of its development and functioning of professionals in various fields were found out . It was determined that the problem of practical thinking of military professionals, including artillery officers, remains virtually unexplored.
It was proved that promising methodological approaches, based on the guiding principles and requirements on which the practical thinking of artillery officers as subjects of specific kind of military and professional activity schoud be studied and developed, are subject active and contextual.
The substantial psychological characteristics is given, the content, contradictions, regularities, functions and psychological features of functioning and development of artillery officers’ practical thinking are determined.
