Weapon Science and Technology is a first-class discipline in a national key construction programs. Its history can be traced back to 1940, when the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering were established at the Yan'an Natural Science Academy. It is the earliest military-industrial specialty supporting the development of equipment in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in China.

Over the years, the discipline has undergone professional transformation and expansion, becoming China's first comprehensive professional system in conventional weapons. It covers a wide range of technologies, from explosives to target destruction systems, and has made significant contributions to military equipment development and the training of talents in the national defense industry.

BIT has offered doctoral programs since 1984 and established a post-doctoral research station in 1988. It has consistently ranked first in national discipline assessments and was recognized as an A+ discipline. In 2017, it was selected as a national first-class discipline.

The discipline represents the national level in such areas as the terminal destruction of weapons, precision strike weapon systems, high-energy explosives, and their applications. It has been at the forefront of independent innovation and the development of weapon science and technology in China. It has also become a hub for cultivating defense innovation talents and is a renowned research and academic exchange center both domestically and internationally.