Anti-tank shells and their varieties. Damage to armor by various types of ammunition Design of modern sub-caliber and armor-piercing projectiles

One of the tasks of the modern basic battle tank is the destruction of similar enemy equipment, for which he requires a powerful weapon and appropriate armor-piercing shells. Russian tanks are armed with several anti-tank ammunition, allowing them to fight well-protected enemy equipment. In addition, in the near future, new models intended for use with advanced weapons should go into large-scale production.

The highest armor penetration characteristics are shown by armor-piercing finned sabot projectiles (BOPS). Such ammunition appeared several decades ago, and subsequently established itself as a convenient means of destroying armored vehicles with powerful protection different types. As a result, at present it is BOPS that turn out to be the main tool of tanks for fighting other tanks. The development of this class of projectiles continues.

Serial "Mango"

According to various sources, Russian armored units currently have several types of BOPS in service, and the most widespread representative of this class is the 3BM-42 “Mango”. The development of a new projectile with increased power under the code “Mango” began in the first half of the eighties. Through the use of certain materials, technologies and solutions, armor penetration should be increased in comparison with existing projectiles. Use future projectile The 3BM-42 was supposed to be equipped with existing tank guns of the 2A46 family.

The T-72B3 main tank carries an improved automatic loader compatible with extended-length projectiles. Photo Vitalykuzmin.net

A few years later, the 3VBM-17 round with 3BM-42 BOPS entered service. It includes the so-called. a burning cylinder, inside of which a driving device with a projectile is rigidly attached. Also, a separate partially combustible cartridge case with ignition means is used for firing. The cavities of the cartridge case and cylinder are filled with tubular gunpowder, which ensures acceleration of the projectile.

The creators of the Mango projectile coped with the task of increasing armor penetration, and did it in a very interesting way. The projectile has a special design, due to which an increase in the main characteristics is achieved. At the same time, externally the 3BM-42 is almost no different from other products in its class. This BOPS is a hollow cylindrical body of small diameter, made of steel and equipped with a tail stabilizer. The front end of the case is closed with a ballistic cap, etc. armor-piercing damper. In the housing cavity, one after the other, there are two tungsten cores, held in place by a jacket of low-melting metal.

A resettable driving device made of aluminum is installed on the projectile. It has a conical shape with a flared front. Interaction with the barrel bore is ensured by several rings on the outer surface of the device. The 3VBM-17 round, including a cylinder, a projectile and a driving device, has a length of 574 mm and a diameter of 125 mm. The mass of the projectile itself is 4.85 kg.

A 3VBM-17 shot with a 3BM-42 "Mango" projectile. Photo Fofanov.armor.kiev.ua

The combustion of gunpowder in the cartridge case and cylinder allows the projectile with the driving device to be accelerated to a speed of no more than 1700 m/s. After exiting the barrel, the master device is reset. When hitting a target, the holding jacket melts, after which the tungsten cores can penetrate the armor. The maximum armor penetration at a distance of 2 km is determined to be 500 mm. With a meeting angle of 60° at the same distance, this characteristic is reduced to 220 mm.

The 3VBM-17 round with the 3BM-42 projectile was put into service in 1986 and significantly influenced the combat qualities of all existing main tanks of the Soviet Army. This product is still used today tank forces and is almost the basis of their arsenals. Subsequently, a modernization was carried out, which consisted of increasing the length of the body and cores. As a result, Mango-M weighs 5 kg and can penetrate up to 270 mm of armor at an angle of 60°.

The long journey of "Lead"

Soon after the appearance of the Mango BOPS, well-known unpleasant events began in our country, affecting a lot of areas, including the development of promising shells for tank guns. Only by the end of the nineties was it possible to obtain real results in the form of another projectile with improved characteristics. This ammunition was the result of development work with the code “Lead”.

Scheme of the product "Mango". Figure Btvt.narod.ru

Existing experience has shown that further growth in the main combat characteristics is associated with a mandatory increase in the length of the projectile. This parameter was increased to 740 mm, but this fact did not allow the future projectile to be used with existing tank automatic loaders. As a result, the next armored vehicle modernization project had to include updating the automation that serves the gun.

From the point of view of the general appearance, the 3VBM-20 shot with the 3BM-46 “Svinets-1” projectile is somewhat similar to the older 3VBM-17 and also consists of a projectile in a burning cylinder and a cartridge case with a metal tray. At the same time, the design of the projectile itself is seriously different from the existing one. This time it was decided to use a monolithic core made of depleted uranium (according to other sources, from a tungsten alloy), which is actually the basis of the projectile. A ballistic cap and tail fins, the diameter of which is smaller than the caliber of the barrel, are attached to the metal core.

An improved drive device was created for the longer projectile. It is distinguished by its large length and the presence of two contact zones. At the front of the device there is a large, familiar-looking cylinder, and the second zone is created by three rear supports. After exiting the barrel, such a driving device is reset and releases the projectile.

"Mango-M" and a cartridge case with a propellant charge. Photo: Btvt.narod.ru

According to available data, Svinets-1 has a mass of 4.6 kg and is capable of accelerating to a speed of 1750 m/s. Due to this, it penetrates up to 650 mm of homogeneous armor at a firing distance of 2000 m and zero impact angle. It is known about the existence of the Lead-2 project, which involved replacing the core with a product made of a different material. Thus, similar shells made of uranium and tungsten could appear in arsenals.

Due to its large length, the new type of projectile could not be used with existing automatic loaders serial tanks. This problem was solved in the mid-2000s. The T-90A armored vehicles of the new series were equipped with modified machine guns compatible with “long” shells. Subsequently, modernized T-72B3 began to receive similar equipment. Thus, a significant part of the technology armored forces can use not only relatively old “Mangos” with limited characteristics.

"Vacuum" for "Armata"

Observed increase in tank protection characteristics probable enemy is a real challenge for weapons developers. Further research work led to the conclusion that a new increase in the length of the ammunition was necessary. The optimal balance of characteristics could be shown by a BOPS with a length of 1000 mm, but such a projectile, for obvious reasons, could not be used with the 2A46 gun and its automatic loader.

3BM-46 projectile with a leading device. Photo Fofanov.armor.kiev.ua

The way out of this situation was to create a completely new weapon with additional equipment. The promising gun later became known under the symbol 2A82, and the new projectile received the code “Vacuum”. From a certain time, a new weapon system began to be considered in the context of the project promising tank"Armata". If work on the gun and BOPS is successfully completed, the new tank could receive them as its main armament.

According to some sources, the Vacuum project was abandoned in favor of new developments. In connection with the start of development of the 2A82-1M gun, instead of such a projectile, it was proposed to create a smaller BOPS with the code “Vacuum-1”. It was supposed to be “only” 900 mm long and equipped with a carbide core. In the recent past, representatives of the defense industry mentioned that organizations from Rosatom were involved in the development of a new projectile. Their participation is due to the need to use depleted uranium.

According to some reports, a projectile called “Vacuum-2” is being created in parallel. In its design, it should be similar to the product with the unit, but at the same time differ in material. It is proposed to be made from a tungsten alloy, more common for domestic BOPS. Also for use with the 2A82-M gun, high-explosive fragmentation ammunition with a controlled detonation with the code "Telnik" and a 3UBK21 "Sprinter" guided missile are being created. Accurate information about the creation of the new 125 mm cumulative projectile not available yet.

Main tank T-14 with 2A82-1M gun. Photo by NPK "Uralvagonzavod" / uvz.ru

The appearance and exact technical characteristics of the promising BOPS of the “Vacuum” family have not yet been specified. What is known is that a projectile with a uranium core will penetrate about 900-1000 mm of homogeneous armor. It is likely that such characteristics can be obtained with an ideal angle of impact. No other details available.

Promising “Slate”

According to various reports from past years, promising domestically developed tanks were also supposed to receive an armor-piercing projectile called “Stylus”. However, there was not too much information about him, which led to confusion and misconceptions. Thus, for some time it was believed that the “Grifel” was intended for the new 125 mm guns. It is now known that this product is planned to be used with a more powerful 2A83 gun of 152 mm caliber.

Apparently, the projectile for high-power guns will be similar in appearance to other representatives of its class. It will receive a high elongation core, equipped with a ballistic cap and an armor-piercing damper in the head, as well as a relatively small caliber stabilizer. It was previously reported that the Grifel-1 and Grifel-2 projectiles will be equipped with tungsten and uranium cores. However, there is no data on the armor penetration parameters of the new projectiles.

Models of the 125 mm 2A82-1M gun. Photo: Yuripasholok.livejournal.com

According to various estimates, based on the caliber and estimated energy indicators, the “Leaders” will be able to penetrate at least 1000-1200 mm of homogeneous armor at an optimal impact angle. However, there is information about some characteristic problems in the development of such ammunition. Due to certain objective limitations, the efficiency of using shot energy for 152 mm guns may be lower than for systems of smaller caliber. Whether it will be possible to cope with such problems and fully use the energy reserve of the propellant charge is unknown.

The promising 2A83 tank gun is currently being developed in the context of the further development of the Armata unified tracked platform. The already created T-14 main tank is equipped with an uninhabited turret with a 2A82-1M gun. In the foreseeable future, a new version of the tank is expected to appear, featuring a different fighting compartment and a more powerful 2A83 gun. Along with them, the improved Armata will also receive BOPS from the Grifel line.

Projectiles of the present and future

Currently, the armored forces have several armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber shells, intended for use with guns of the rather old but successful 2A46 line. A significant part of the main tanks existing models has a relatively old automatic loading system, and therefore can only use Mango shells and older products. At the same time, the T-90A tanks of later series, as well as the modernized T-72B3, are equipped with improved automatic loaders, thanks to which they can use relatively long projectiles of the “Lead” line.

The expected appearance of the "Grifel" type BOPS. Drawing by Otvaga2004.mybb.ru

BOPS 3BM-42 and 3BM-46 have fairly high characteristics, and thanks to this they are able to fight a wide range of targets present on the battlefield. At the same time, sub-caliber ammunition is not the only means of combating enemy tanks. For the same purposes, our tanks can use guided missiles and cumulative rounds. Thus, "Mango", "Lead" and others tank ammunition provide combat against various targets over a wide range of ranges.

The next generation of Russian tanks, so far represented only by the T-14 Armata, is equipped with the new 2A82-1M gun, which shows higher performance and is compatible with new ammunition. The new family of projectiles and missiles will provide a noticeable increase in combat qualities and is quite capable of bringing the Armata to a leading position in the world.

It is no secret that in the recent past there has been a significant lag between domestic BOPS and modern foreign models. However, the situation is gradually changing, and new models of this kind are entering service. In the foreseeable future, armored units will receive fundamentally new combat vehicles With modern weapons and ammunition. There is every reason to believe that the gap will at least narrow. Moreover, we cannot exclude the possibility of being ahead of foreign competitors with understandable consequences for the combat effectiveness of the army.

Based on materials from sites:
http://vpk.mane/
http://ria.ru/
http://tass.ru/
http://otvaga2004.ru/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
http://russianarms.ru/
http://fofanov.armor.kiev.ua/
http://gurkhan.blogspot.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/

What are tanks affected by besides grenade launchers and anti-tank systems? How does armor-piercing ammunition work? In this article we will talk about armor-piercing ammunition. The article, which will be of interest to both dummies and those who understand the topic, was prepared by a member of our team, Eldar Akhundov, who once again makes us happy interesting reviews on the topic of weapons.

Story

Armor-piercing shells are designed to hit targets protected by armor, as their name suggests. They first began to be widely used in naval battles in the second half of the 19th century with the advent of ships protected by metal armor. The effect of simple high-explosive fragmentation shells on armored targets was not enough due to the fact that when a shell explodes, the explosion energy is not concentrated in any one direction, but is dissipated into the surrounding space. Only part of the shock wave affects the object’s armor, trying to pierce/bend it. As a result, the pressure created by the shock wave is not enough to penetrate thick armor, but some deflection is possible. As armor thickened and the design of armored vehicles became stronger, it was necessary to increase the amount of explosives in the projectile by increasing its size (caliber, etc.) or develop new substances, which would be costly and inconvenient. By the way, this applies not only to ships, but also to land armored vehicles.

Initially, the first tanks during the First World War could be fought with high-explosive fragmentation shells, since the tanks had bulletproof thin armor with a thickness of only 10-20 mm, which was also connected with rivets, since at that time (early 20th century) welding technology integral armored hulls of tanks and armored vehicles have not yet been developed. 3-4 kg of explosives in a direct hit would be enough to disable such a tank. In this case, the shock wave simply tore or pressed the thin armor inside the vehicle, which led to equipment damage or death of the crew.

An armor-piercing projectile is a kinetic means of hitting a target - that is, it ensures destruction due to the energy of the projectile impact, and not the explosion. In armor-piercing projectiles, the energy is actually concentrated at its tip, where a fairly large pressure is created on a small area of ​​the surface, and the load significantly exceeds the tensile strength of the armor material. As a result, this leads to the penetration of the projectile into the armor and its penetration. Kinetic ammunition was the first mass-produced anti-tank weapon that began to be used in series in various wars. The impact energy of a projectile depends on the mass and its speed at the moment of contact with the target. Mechanical strength and material density of an armor-piercing projectile are also critical factors on which its effectiveness depends. Over many years of wars, different types armor-piercing shells, differing in design, and for more than a hundred years there has been constant improvement of both shells and armor of tanks and armored vehicles.

The first armor-piercing projectiles were an all-steel solid projectile (blank) that penetrated armor with impact force (thickness approximately equal to the caliber of the projectile)

Then the design began to become more complex and over time the following scheme became popular: a rod/core made of hard hardened alloy steel covered in a shell of soft metal (lead or mild steel), or a light alloy. The soft shell was needed to reduce wear on the gun barrel, and also because it was not practical to make the entire projectile entirely from hardened alloy steel. The soft shell crumpled when hitting an inclined barrier, thereby preventing the projectile from ricocheting/sliding along the armor. The shell can also serve as a fairing (depending on the shape) that reduces air resistance during the flight of the projectile.

Another design of the projectile involves the absence of a shell and only the presence of a special cap made of soft metal as the tip of the projectile for aerodynamics and to prevent ricochet when striking sloping armor.

Design of sub-caliber armor-piercing projectiles

The projectile is called a sub-caliber because the caliber (diameter) of its combat/armor-piercing part is 3 less than the caliber of the gun (a - reel-type, b - streamlined). 1 — ballistic tip, 2 — pallet, 3 — armor-piercing core/armor-piercing part, 4 — tracer, 5 — plastic tip.

The projectile has rings surrounding it, made of soft metal, which are called leading belts. They serve to center the projectile in the barrel and seal the barrel. Obturation is a sealing of the barrel bore when firing from a gun (or a weapon in general), which prevents the breakthrough of powder gases (accelerating the projectile) into the gap between the projectile itself and the barrel. Thus, the energy of the powder gases is not lost and, to the maximum possible extent, is transferred to the projectile.

Left— dependence of the thickness of the armored barrier on its angle of inclination. A slab of thickness B1 is inclined at a certain angle, and has the same resistance as a thicker slab of thickness B2 located at right angles to the movement of the projectile. It can be seen that the path that the projectile must penetrate increases with increasing inclination of the armor.

On right- blunt-headed projectiles A and B at the moment of contact with inclined armor. Below is a sharp-headed arrow-shaped projectile. Thanks to the special shape of projectile B, it is visible that it has good engagement (biting) on ​​the inclined armor, which prevents ricochet. A sharp-headed projectile is less susceptible to ricochet due to its acute form and very high contact pressure upon impact with the armor.

The damaging factors when such projectiles hit a target are fragments and fragments of armor flying at high speed from the inside, as well as the flying projectile itself or its parts. Equipment located on the trajectory of armor penetration suffered especially. In addition, due to the high temperature of the projectile and its fragments, as well as the presence inside the tank or armored vehicle large quantity highly flammable objects and materials, there is a very high risk of fire. The image below demonstrates how this happens:

The relatively soft body of the projectile is visible, crushed during impact, and the carbide core piercing the armor. On the right you can see a stream of high-speed fragments with inside armor as one of the main damaging factors. In all modern tanks, there is a tendency to place internal equipment and crew as densely as possible to reduce the size and weight of tanks. The flip side of this coin is that if the armor is penetrated, it is almost guaranteed that some important equipment will be damaged or a crew member injured. And even if the tank is not destroyed, it usually becomes ineffective. On modern tanks and armored vehicles, a non-flammable anti-fragmentation lining is installed on the inside of the armor. As a rule, this is a material based on Kevlar or other high-strength materials. Although it will not protect against the projectile core itself, it does retain some of the armor fragments, thereby reducing the damage caused and increasing the survivability of the vehicle and crew.

Above, using the example of an armored vehicle, you can see the armor effect of the projectile and fragments with and without the lining installed. On the left you can see fragments and the shell itself that pierced the armor. On the right, the installed lining delays most fragments of armor (but not the projectile itself), thereby reducing damage.

An even more effective type of shell is chamber shells. Chambered armor-piercing shells are distinguished by the presence of a chamber (cavity) inside the projectile filled with an explosive and a delayed-action detonator. After penetrating the armor, the projectile explodes inside the object, thereby significantly increasing the damage caused by fragments and a shock wave in a closed volume. Essentially it is an armor-piercing landmine.

One of the simple examples of a chamber projectile diagram

1 - soft ballistic shell, 2 - armor-piercing steel, 3 - explosive charge, 4 - bottom detonator operating with deceleration, 5 - front and rear driving belts (shoulders).

Chamber shells are not used today as anti-tank shells, since their design is weakened by an internal cavity with explosives and is not designed to penetrate thick armor, that is, a tank caliber shell (105 - 125 mm) will simply collapse when colliding with modern frontal tank armor (equivalent to 400 - 600 mm armor and above). Similar shells were used widely during the Second World War as their caliber was comparable to the thickness of the armor of some tanks of that time. In naval battles of the past, chamber shells were used from a large caliber of 203 mm to a monstrous 460 mm (battleship of the Yamato series), which could easily penetrate thick ship steel armor comparable in thickness to their caliber (300 - 500 mm), or a layer of reinforced concrete and stone a few meters.

Modern armor-piercing ammunition

Although various types of anti-tank missiles have been developed since World War II, armor-piercing ammunition remains one of the main anti-tank weapons. Despite the undeniable advantages of missiles (mobility, accuracy, homing capabilities, etc.), armor-piercing shells also have their advantages.

Their main advantage is the simplicity of design and, accordingly, production, which affects the lower price of the product.

In addition, an armor-piercing projectile, unlike an anti-tank missile, has a very high speed of approach to the target (from 1600 m/s and above), it is impossible to “get away” from it by maneuvering in time or hiding in cover (in a certain sense, when launching a missile, such there is a possibility). Besides, anti-tank shell does not require the need to keep the target on sight, like many, although not all, ATGMs.

It is also impossible to create radio-electronic interference against an armor-piercing projectile due to the fact that it simply does not contain any radio-electronic devices. In the case of anti-tank missiles, this is possible; complexes such as “Shtora”, “Afganit” or “Zaslon”* are created specifically for this purpose.

A modern armor-piercing projectile, widely used in most countries of the world, is actually a long rod made of a high-strength metal (tungsten or depleted uranium) or composite (tungsten carbide) alloy and rushing towards the target at a speed of 1500 to 1800 m/sec and higher. The rod at the end has stabilizers called tails. The projectile is abbreviated as BOPS (Armour-Piercing Feathered Sub-Caliber Projectile). You can also simply call it BPS (Armor-Piercing Sub-Caliber Projectile).

Almost all modern armor-piercing ammunition shells have the so-called. “empennage” - tail flight stabilizers. The reason for the appearance of feathered shells lies in the fact that the shells of the old design described above after the Second World War exhausted their potential. It was necessary to lengthen the projectiles for greater efficiency, but they lost stability at great lengths. One of the reasons for the loss of stability was their rotation in flight (since most of the guns were rifled and communicated to the projectiles rotational movement). The strength of the materials of that time did not allow the creation of long projectiles with sufficient strength to penetrate thick composite (laminated) armor. It was easier to stabilize the projectile not by rotation, but by the tail. An important role in the appearance of plumage was also played by the appearance of smooth-bore guns, the shells of which could accelerate to higher speeds than when using rifled guns, and the problem of stabilization in which began to be solved with the help of plumage (we will touch on the topic of rifled and smooth-bore guns in the next material).

Materials play a particularly important role in armor-piercing projectiles. Tungsten carbide** (composite material) has a density of 15.77 g/cm3, which is almost twice as high as steel. It has great hardness, wear resistance and a melting point (about 2900 C). IN Lately Heavier alloys based on tungsten and uranium are especially widespread. Tungsten or depleted uranium have a very high density, which is almost 2.5 times higher than that of steel (19.25 and 19.1 g/cm3 versus 7.8 g/cm3 for steel) and, accordingly, greater mass and kinetic energy while maintaining minimum sizes. Also, their mechanical strength (especially bending) is higher than that of composite tungsten carbide. Thanks to these qualities, it is possible to concentrate more energy in a smaller volume of the projectile, that is, to increase the density of its kinetic energy. Also, these alloys have enormous strength and hardness compared to even the strongest existing armor or special steels.

The projectile is called a sub-caliber because the caliber (diameter) of its warhead/armor-piercing part is smaller than the caliber of the gun. Typically the diameter of such a core is 20 - 36 mm. Recently, projectile developers have been trying to reduce the diameter of the core and increase its length, maintain or increase mass if possible, reduce flight resistance and, as a result, increase the contact pressure at the point of impact with the armor.

Uranium ammunition has 10 - 15% greater penetration with the same dimensions due to interesting feature alloy called self-sharpening. The scientific term for this process is “ablative self-sharpening.” When a tungsten projectile passes through armor, the tip is deformed and flattened due to the enormous resistance. When flattened, its contact area increases, which further increases resistance to movement and, as a result, penetration suffers. When a uranium projectile passes through armor at speeds greater than 1600 m/sec, its tip does not deform or flatten, but simply collapses parallel to the movement of the projectile, that is, it peels off in parts and thus the rod always remains sharp.

In addition to the already listed damaging factors of armor-piercing projectiles, modern BPS have a high incendiary ability when penetrating armor. This ability is called pyrophoricity - that is, the self-ignition of projectile particles after penetrating the armor***.

125mm BOPS BM-42 “Mango”

The design is a tungsten alloy core in a steel shell. The stabilizers at the end of the projectile (tail) are visible. The white circle around the rod is the seal. On the right, the BPS is equipped (recessed) inside a powder charge and in this form is supplied to tank forces. On the left is a second powder charge with a fuse and a metal tray. As you can see, the entire shot is divided into two parts, and only in this form is it placed in the automatic loader of USSR/RF tanks (T-64, 72, 80, 90). That is, first the loading mechanism delivers the BPS with the first charge, and then the second charge.

The photo below shows parts of the seal at the moment of separation from the rod in flight. A burning tracer is visible at the bottom of the rod.

Interesting Facts

*The Russian Shtora system was created to protect tanks from anti-tank guided missiles. The system detects that a laser beam is pointed at the tank, determines the direction of the laser source, and sends a signal to the crew. The crew can make a maneuver or hide the vehicle in a shelter. The system is also connected to a smoke missile launcher, which creates a cloud that reflects optical and laser radiation, thereby knocking the ATGM missile off the target. There is also interaction between the “Curtains” and searchlights - emitters that can interfere with the design of an anti-tank missile when directed at it. The effectiveness of the Shtora system against various latest-generation ATGMs remains in question. There are controversial opinions on this matter, but its presence, as they say, is better than its complete absence. On the last Russian tank"Armata" installed a different system - the so-called. integrated system active protection"Afganit", which, according to the developers, is capable of intercepting not only anti-tank missiles, but also armor-piercing shells flying at speeds of up to 1,700 m/s (in the future it is planned to increase this figure to 2,000 m/s). In turn, the Ukrainian development “Zaslon” operates on the principle of detonating ammunition on the side of an attacking projectile (missile) and imparting a powerful impulse to it in the form of a shock wave and fragments. Thus, the projectile or missile deviates from the initially given trajectory and is destroyed before meeting the target (or rather, its target). Judging by technical specifications, the most effective this system can be against RPGs and ATGMs.

**Tungsten carbide is used not only for the manufacture of projectiles, but also for the manufacture of heavy-duty tools for working with especially hard steels and alloys. For example, an alloy called “Pobedit” (from the word “Victory”) was developed in the USSR in 1929. It is a solid homogeneous mixture/alloy of tungsten carbide and cobalt in a ratio of 90:10. Products are produced by powder metallurgy. Powder metallurgy is the process of obtaining metal powders and manufacturing from them various high-strength products with pre-calculated mechanical, physical, magnetic and other properties. This process produces products from mixtures of metals and non-metals that simply cannot be joined by other methods, such as alloying or welding. The mixture of powders is loaded into the mold of the future product. One of the powders is a binding matrix (something like cement) that will firmly connect all the smallest particles/grains of the powder to each other. Examples include nickel and cobalt powders. The mixture is pressed in special presses under pressure from 300 to 10,000 atmospheres. The mixture is then heated to a high temperature (70 to 90% of the melting point of the binder metal). As a result, the mixture becomes denser and the bond between the grains is strengthened.

***Pyrophoricity is the ability of a solid material to spontaneously ignite in air in the absence of heating and being in a finely crushed state. The property can manifest itself upon impact or friction. One of the materials that satisfies this requirement well is depleted uranium. When the armor is penetrated, part of the core will be in a finely crushed state. Let's add to this as well high temperature at the point where the armor is penetrated, the impact and friction of many particles itself and we get ideal conditions for ignition. Special additives are also added to tungsten alloys of projectiles for greater pyrophoricity. How simplest example Pyrophoricity in everyday life can be found in silicon lighters that are made from a cerium metal alloy.

BOPS (Armour-piercing finned sabot projectiles)

With the adoption of the T-62 medium tank, the USSR became the first country in the world to massively use armor-piercing finned sub-caliber ammunition (BOPS) in tank ammunition. Thanks extremely high speed and a long direct shot range.

Armor-piercing shells for the 115-mm U-5TS (2A20) gun were superior in armor penetration at an angle of 60 degrees. from the normal, the best sub-caliber shells for rifled guns were 30% higher and had a direct shot range 1.6 times greater than the standard ones. However, unitary shots for the GSP U-5TS did not allow the full potential of the rate of fire and reduction of the internal armored volume of the promising tank to be fully realized, in addition, due to increased gas contamination fighting compartment T-62 designers were forced to resort to a mechanism for removing spent cartridges, which somewhat reduced the tank's rate of fire. Thus, the problem of automating the process of loading a tank gun became relevant, which, along with increasing the rate of fire, made it possible to significantly reduce the internal volume, and, consequently, security.

At the beginning of 1961, work began on the creation of 115-mm separate-loading rounds with OBPS, cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation shells for the D-68 (2A21) cannon.

The completion of work on the creation of separate loading rounds for the D-68 cannon installed in a new medium tank with mechanized loading was successfully completed, and the newly created ammunition was put into mass production in 1964.

In 1966, the T-64 tank with the D-68 cannon and new rounds for it was put into service.

However, for a number of reasons, the 115 mm caliber gun of the T-64 tank was considered insufficient to ensure guaranteed destruction of promising foreign tanks.

Perhaps the reason was an overly inflated assessment of the armor resistance of the new, most powerful English tank at that time, the Chieftain, as well as fears of the imminent entry into service of the promising American-German MBT-70 tank, which was never put into service.

For these reasons, an improved version of the T-64 tank was created, designated T-64A and put into service Soviet army in May 1968. The tank was armed with a 125 mm D-81T (2A26) cannon, developed in 1962 at plant No. 172 (Perm) in OKB-9 under the leadership of F.F. Petrova.

Subsequently, this gun, which earned many positive reviews for its high technical and operational characteristics, underwent numerous upgrades aimed at further increasing its characteristics.

Upgraded versions of the D-81T (2A26) gun such as 2A46M, 2A46M-1, 2A46M-2, 2A46M-4 are the main weapons domestic tanks to this day.

BPS burning cylinder with tubular powder (SC) - Right

Burning cartridge (SG) - Left

Core - In the middle

As you can see in the pictures, a burning cylinder (SC) with tubular gunpowder is put on the BPS; the SC is made of cardboard impregnated with TNT and during the shot it completely burns out and nothing remains of it. The burning cartridge case (SG) is made using a similar technology; after the shot, a metal tray remains from it. The means of ignition is the galvanic impact bushing GUV-7, which differs from the usual one in that it has an incandescent bridge that ignites the gunpowder when the striker touches it, but it can also work like a regular one from impact.

The domestic BPS consists of a leading ring consisting of three sectors with a parting plane at 120 degrees, fastened with a sealing belt made of copper or plastic. The second support is the stabilizer feathers, equipped with bearings. When leaving the barrel, the ring is divided into three sectors and the sectors fly up to 500 m at high speed; it is not recommended to be in front of the firing BPS tank. The sector can damage lightly armored vehicles and injure infantry.The separating sectors of the BPS have significant kinetic energy within 2° of the shot (at a distance of 1000 m)

A burning cylinder (SC) with tubular gunpowder is put on the OBPS; the SC is made of cardboard impregnated with TNT and during the shot it completely burns out and nothing remains of it. The burning cartridge case (SG) is made using a similar technology; after the shot, a metal tray remains from it. The means of ignition is the galvanic impact bushing GUV-7.

The beginning of the 60s and the end of the seventies, the adoption of OBPS stabilized by plumage.

The period of the late 60s and late seventies was characterized evolutionary development foreign tanks, the best of which had homogeneous armor protection within 200 (Leopard-1A1), 250 (M60) and 300 (Chieftain) millimeters of armor.

Their ammunition included a BPS for the 105 mm L7 guns (and its American counterpart M68) and the 120 mm L-11 rifled gun of the Chieftain tank.

At the same time, the USSR entered service with a number of OBPS for 115 and 125 mm GSP tanks T-62, T-64 and T-64, as well as 100 mm smoothbore anti-tank gun T-12.

Among them were shells of two modifications: solid-body and having a carbide core.

Solid-body OBPS 3BM2 for PTP T-12, 3BM6 for GSP U-5TS of the T-62 tank, as well as solid-body OBPS for 125 mm GSP 3BM17. OBPS with a carbide core included 3BM3 for GSP U-5TS of the T-62 tank, 125 mm OBPS 3BM15, 3BM22 for T-64A/T-72/T-80 tanks.

3VBM-7 projectile (3BM-15 projectile index; projectile index With throwing charge3BM-18 ) (approx. 1972)

The active part of this projectile is slightly elongated compared to the 3BM-12, which did not affect the overall length of the projectile due to the greater penetration of the active part into the additional charge. Despite the fact that the projectile had not been used in the Soviet Army for a long time, it remained until the collapse of the USSR the most modern OBPS available to recipients of Soviet export T-72 tanks. The BM-15 and its local analogues were produced under license in many countries.

Shot 3VBM-8 (projectile index 3BM-17; projectile index With throwing charge3BM-18) (approx. 1972)

A simplified version of the 3BM-15 projectile; There is no tungsten carbide core; instead, the size of the armor-piercing cap has been increased to compensate for the drop in armor penetration. Presumably used for export and training purposes only.

Shot 3VBM-9 (projectile index 3BM-22; projectile index With throwing charge3BM-23) (p/v 1976)

Research topic "Hairpin". AC length almost identical to the a.h. BM-15, however, a much more massive armor-piercing damper is used. As a result, the projectile is noticeably heavier than the BM-15, which led to a slight decrease in initial velocity. This projectile was the most common in the Soviet Army in the late 70s - early 80s, and although it is no longer produced, it has been accumulated in large quantities and is still approved for use.

Appearance core of one projectile variant.

Second generation (late 70s and 80s)

In 1977, work began aimed at increasing the combat effectiveness of tank artillery rounds. The organization of this work was associated with the need to defeat new types of enhanced armor protection, the new generation M1 Abrams and Leopard-2 tanks being developed abroad.
The development of new design schemes for OBPS has begun, ensuring the destruction of monolithic combined armor in a wide range of angles where the projectile hits the armor, as well as overcoming remote sensing.

Other objectives included improving the aerodynamic qualities of the projectile in flight to reduce drag, as well as increasing its initial speed.

The development of new alloys based on tungsten and depleted uranium with improved physical and mechanical characteristics continued.
The results obtained from these research projects made it possible at the end of the 70s to begin the development of new OBPS with an improved leading device, which ended with the adoption of OBPS “Nadezhda”, “Vant” and “Mango” for the 125-mm GSP D-81.

One of the main differences between the new OBPS compared to those developed before 1977 was a new driving device with “clamping” type sectors using aluminum alloy and polymer materials.

Previously, OBPS used leading devices with steel sectors of the “expanding” type.

In 1984, the 3VBM13 “Vant” OBPS with the 3BM32 projectile of increased efficiency was developed; “Vant” became the first domestic monoblock OBPS made of a uranium alloy with high physical and mechanical properties.

OBPS "Mango" was designed specifically to destroy tanks with combined and dynamic protection. The design of the projectile uses a highly efficient combined core made of tungsten alloy placed in a steel casing, between which there is a layer of low-melting alloy.

The projectile is capable of penetrating dynamic protection and reliably hitting the complex composite armor of tanks that entered service in the late 70s and until the mid-80s.

Shot 3VBM-11 (projectile index 3BM-26; projectile index With throwing charge3BM-27) (p/v 1983)

Theme "Nadezhda-R". This OBPS was the first in a series of projectiles with a new leading device.

This ammunition was also the first to be developed and tested specifically for the purpose of parrying advanced multi-layer barriers used on promising NATO tanks.

Used with the main propellant charge 4Zh63.

3BM-29. "Nadfil-2", OBPS with a uranium core(1982) similar in design to 3BM-26.

Shot 3VBM-13 (projectile index 3BM-32; projectile index With throwing charge3BM-38 ) (p/v 1985)

Research topic "Vant". The first Soviet monolithic uranium OBPS.

Shot 3VBM-17 (projectile index 3BM-42; projectile index With throwing charge3BM-44) (p/v 1986)

The research topic "Mango" was opened in 1983. A projectile of increased power, designed to destroy modern multi-layer armored barriers. It has a very complex design, including a solid ballistic and armor-piercing cap, an armor-piercing damper, and two high-strength tungsten alloy cores of high elongation. The cores are fixed in the projectile body by means of a low-melting alloy jacket; during the penetration process, the jacket melts, allowing the cores to enter the penetration channel without wasting energy on separation from the body.

VU - further VU development, used with OBPS 3BM-26, is made of V-96Ts1 alloy with improved characteristics. The projectile is widely distributed and was also exported as part of Russian and Ukrainian T-80U/T-80UD and T-90 tanks delivered abroad in the last decade.

OBPS "Lead" (projectile index 3BM-46; projectile index With throwing charge3BM-48) (p/v 1986)

A modern OBPS with a monolithic high-aspect ratio uranium core and sub-caliber stabilizers, using a new composite VU with two contact zones. The projectile has a length close to the maximum permissible for standard Soviet automatic loaders. The most powerful Soviet 125-mm OBPS, exceeding or corresponding in power to the OBPS adopted by NATO countries until relatively recently.

Shot withincreased power

A high-power projectile with a high-elongation tungsten core and sub-caliber stabilizers, using a four-section composite explosive device with two contact zones. In Rosoboronexport literature, this projectile is referred to simply as a “high-power projectile.”

The developers of this ammunition were the first to create a high elongation projectile with a new firing pattern.

The new BPS is designed to fire from the D-81 tank gun at modern tanks equipped with complex composite armor and dynamic protection.

Compared to the 3BM42 BOPS, due to the elongated tungsten alloy body and a charge made from higher-energy powders, a 20% increase in armor penetration is ensured.

In terms of the development of BOPS, a lot of work has been carried out since the late nineties, the groundwork for which was the BOPS "Anker" and 3BM48 "Svinets". These projectiles were significantly superior to such BOPS as “Mango” and “Vant”; the main difference was the new principles of the guidance system in the barrel bore and a core with a significantly increased elongation. New system guiding projectiles in the barrel not only made it possible to use longer cores, but also made it possible to improve their aerodynamic properties.

After the collapse of the USSR, the industry for the production of new types of ammunition began and continues to lag behind. The issue of modernizing the ammunition load of both domestic tanks and those exported became acute. The development, as well as small-scale production of domestic BPS continued, but mass introduction and mass production of new generation BPS samples was not carried out.

Due to the lack of modern BPS, a number of countries with a large fleet of domestic tanks armed with a 125 mm cannon have made their own attempts to develop a BPS.

Comparison of 125 mm caliber OBPS 3BM48, 3BM44M, M829A2 (USA), NORINCO TK125 (PRC)

and OBPS caliber 120 mm DM53 (Germany), CL3241 (Israel).

OBPS 125 mm caliber developed in the 90s in China and other countries of Eastern Europe: NORINCO TK125, TAPNA (Slovakia), Pronit (Poland).

And a passive one (pallet), made according to the caliber of a gun. In the first BPS, the pallet was an integral part of the projectile, but already in 1944, British ammunition designers developed a modern modification - an armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile with a separating pan from the active part after it exits the barrel. BPS with a detachable tray - the main anti-tank projectile in ammunition modern tanks. Armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles with an integral sabot also continue to be used, but to a greater extent as ammunition for automatic small-caliber guns, where the implementation of a sabot separating from the active part is difficult or impossible. There are BPS stabilized in flight by rotation and tail.

English designations of BPS types

In foreign, and subsequently in domestic publications on the relevant topic, the following abbreviations of English designations for BPS types are often used:

• APCR - A rmour- P iercing C composite R igid (armor-piercing compound rigid) - BPS with an integral pan and a harder active part (core);
• APCNR - A rmour- P iercing C composite N on- R igid (armor-piercing composite non-rigid) - BPS with an integral crushable pallet and a harder active part (core) for artillery pieces with a conical bore;
• APDS - A rmour- P iercing D iscarding S abot (armor-piercing sub-caliber with a detachable tray);
• APFSDS, APDS-FS - A rmour- P iercing D iscarding S abot- F in- S tabilized (armor-piercing finned sub-caliber with a detachable tray).

Armor-piercing finned sabot projectiles (BOPS, OBPS)

With the adoption of the T-62 medium tank, the USSR became the first country in the world to massively use armor-piercing finned sub-caliber ammunition (BOPS) in tank ammunition. Thanks to its extremely high speed and long direct shot range.

Armor-piercing shells for the 115-mm U-5TS (2A20) gun were superior in armor penetration at an angle of 60 degrees. from the normal, the best sub-caliber shells for rifled guns were 30% higher and had a direct shot range 1.6 times greater than the standard ones. However, unitary rounds for the GSP U-5TS did not make it possible to fully realize the potential for rate of fire and reduce the internal armored volume of a promising tank; in addition, due to the increased gas contamination of the T-62 fighting compartment, the designers were forced to resort to a mechanism for removing spent cartridges, which somewhat reduced tank's rate of fire. Thus, the problem of automating the process of loading a tank gun became relevant, which, along with increasing the rate of fire, made it possible to significantly reduce the internal volume, and, consequently, security.

At the beginning of 1961, work began on the creation of 115-mm separate-loading rounds with OBPS, cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation shells for the D-68 (2A21) cannon.

The completion of work on the creation of separate loading rounds for the D-68 cannon installed in a new medium tank with mechanized loading was successfully completed, and the newly created ammunition was put into mass production in 1964.

In 1966, the T-64 tank with the D-68 cannon and new rounds for it was put into service.

However, for a number of reasons, the 115 mm caliber gun of the T-64 tank was considered insufficient to ensure guaranteed destruction of promising foreign tanks. Perhaps the reason was an overly inflated assessment of the armor resistance of the new, most powerful English tank at that time, the Chieftain, as well as fears of the imminent entry into service of the promising American-German MBT-70 tank, which was never put into service. For these reasons, an improved version of the T-64 tank was created, designated T-64A and adopted by the Soviet Army in May 1968. The tank was armed with a 125 mm D-81T (2A26) cannon, developed in 1962 at plant No. 172 (Perm) in OKB-9 under the leadership of F.F. Petrova.

Subsequently, this gun, which earned many positive reviews for its high technical and operational characteristics, underwent numerous upgrades aimed at further increasing its characteristics. Modernized versions of the D-81T (2A26) gun such as 2A46M, 2A46M-1, 2A46M-2, 2A46M-4 are the main armament of domestic tanks to this day.

The beginning of the 60s and the end of the seventies, the adoption of OBPS stabilized by plumage.

The period of the late 60s and late seventies was characterized by the evolutionary development of foreign tanks, the best of which had homogeneous armor protection within 200 (Leopard-1A1), 250 (M60) and 300 (Chieftain) millimeters of armor. Their ammunition included a BPS for the 105 mm L7 guns (and its American counterpart M68) and the 120 mm L-11 rifled gun of the Chieftain tank.

At the same time, the USSR entered service with a number of OBPS for 115 and 125 mm GSP tanks T-62, T-64 and T-64, as well as 100 mm smoothbore anti-tank gun T-12.

Among them were shells of two modifications: solid-body and having a carbide core.

Solid-body OBPS 3BM2 for PTP T-12, 3BM6 for GSP U-5TS tank T-62, as well as solid-body OBPS for 125 mm GSP 3BM17, which was intended primarily for export and crew training.

OBPS with a carbide core included 3BM3 for GSP U-5TS of the T-62 tank, 125 mm OBPS 3BM15, 3BM22 for T-64A/T-72/T-80 tanks.

Second generation (late 70s and 80s)

In 1977, work began aimed at increasing the combat effectiveness of tank artillery rounds. The organization of this work was associated with the need to defeat new types of enhanced armor protection, the new generation M1 Abrams and Leopard-2 tanks being developed abroad. The development of new design schemes for OBPS has begun, ensuring the destruction of monolithic combined armor in a wide range of angles where the projectile hits the armor, as well as overcoming remote sensing.

Other objectives included improving the aerodynamic qualities of the projectile in flight to reduce drag, as well as increasing its initial speed.

The development of new alloys based on tungsten and depleted uranium with improved physical and mechanical characteristics continued. The results obtained from these research projects made it possible at the end of the 70s to begin the development of new OBPS with an improved leading device, which ended with the adoption of OBPS “Nadezhda”, “Vant” and “Mango” for the 125-mm GSP D-81.

One of the main differences between the new OBPS compared to those developed before 1977 was a new driving device with “clamping” type sectors using aluminum alloy and polymer materials.

Previously, OBPS used leading devices with steel sectors of the “expanding” type.

In 1984, the 3VBM13 “Vant” OBPS with the 3BM32 projectile of increased efficiency was developed; “Vant” became the first domestic monoblock OBPS made of a uranium alloy with high physical and mechanical properties.

OBPS "Mango" was designed specifically to destroy tanks with combined and dynamic protection. The design of the projectile uses a highly efficient combined core made of tungsten alloy placed in a steel casing, between which there is a layer of low-melting alloy.

The projectile is capable of penetrating dynamic protection and reliably hitting the complex composite armor of tanks that entered service in the late 70s and until the mid-80s.

In terms of the development of BOPS, a lot of work has been carried out since the late nineties, the basis of which was the BOPS 3BM39 "Anker" and 3BM48 "Lead". These projectiles were significantly superior to such BOPS as “Mango” and “Vant”; the main difference was the new principles of the guidance system in the barrel bore and a core with a significantly increased elongation.

The new system for guiding projectiles in the barrel not only made it possible to use longer cores, but also improved their aerodynamic properties.

It was these products that served as the basis for the creation of modern domestic OBPS of a new generation. The results obtained from these works served as the basis for the creation of new, modern projectiles.

After the collapse of the USSR in the early 90s, a sharp degradation of the domestic military-industrial complex began, which had a particularly painful impact on the industry for the production of new types of ammunition. During this period, the issue of modernizing the ammunition load of both domestic tanks and those exported became acute. The development, as well as small-scale production of domestic BPS continued, but mass introduction and large-scale production of new generation BPS samples was not carried out. Positive trends in some aspects of this issue have emerged only recently.

Due to the lack of modern BPS, a number of countries with a large fleet of domestic tanks armed with a 125 mm cannon have made their own attempts to develop a BPS.

The term "sub-caliber projectile" is most often used in tank forces. These types of shells are used along with cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation shells. But if earlier there was a division into armor-piercing and sub-caliber ammunition, now it makes sense to talk only about armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles. Let's talk about what a sub-caliber is and what its key features and principle of operation are.

basic information

The key difference between sub-caliber shells and conventional armored shells is that the diameter of the core, that is, the main part, is smaller than the caliber of the gun. At the same time, the second main part - the pallet - is made according to the diameter of the gun. The main purpose of such ammunition is to defeat heavily armored targets. Usually this heavy tanks and fortified buildings.

It is worth noting that the armor-piercing sabot projectile has increased penetration due to its high initial flight speed. The specific pressure when breaking through armor has also been increased. For this purpose, it is advisable to use materials as a core that have as much specific gravity. Tungsten and depleted uranium are suitable for these purposes. Stabilization of the projectile's flight is realized by fins. There is nothing new here, since the principle of flight of an ordinary arrow is used.

Armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile and its description

As we noted above, such ammunition is ideal for shooting at tanks. The interesting thing is that the sub-caliber does not have the usual fuse and explosive. The principle of operation of the projectile is entirely based on its kinetic energy. If you compare it, it is something similar to a massive high-velocity bullet.

The sub-caliber consists of a reel body. A core is inserted into it, which is often made 3 times smaller than the caliber of the gun. High-strength metal-ceramic alloys are used as core material. If previously it was tungsten, today depleted uranium is more popular for a number of reasons. During the shot, the entire load is taken by the pallet, thereby ensuring initial speed flight. Since the weight of such a projectile is less than that of a conventional armor-piercing projectile, by reducing the caliber it was possible to achieve an increase in flight speed. We are talking about significant values. Thus, a finned sabot projectile flies at a speed of 1,600 m/s, while a classic armor-piercing projectile flies at 800-1,000 m/s.

The effect of a sub-caliber projectile

Quite interesting is how such ammunition works. During contact with the armor, it creates a small diameter hole in it due to high kinetic energy. Part of the energy is spent on destroying the target’s armor, and projectile fragments scatter into the armored space. Moreover, the trajectory is similar to a diverging cone. This leads to the machinery and equipment breaking down and the crew being injured. Most importantly, due to the high degree of pyrophoricity of depleted uranium, numerous fires occur, which in most cases leads to the complete failure of the combat unit. We can say that the sub-caliber projectile, the principle of operation of which we have examined, has increased armor penetration at long distances. Evidence of this is Operation Desert Storm, when the US Armed Forces used sub-caliber ammunition and hit armored targets at a distance of 3 km.

Types of PB shells

Currently, several effective designs of sub-caliber projectiles have been developed that are used by the armed forces. various countries. In particular, we're talking about about the following:

• With non-detachable tray. The projectile travels the entire path to the target as a single whole. Only the core is involved in penetration. This solution has not received sufficient distribution due to increased aerodynamic drag. As a result, the indicator of armor penetration and accuracy decreases significantly with the distance to the target.
• With non-detachable tray for conical implement. The essence of this solution is that when passing along a conical barrel, the pallet is crushed. This reduces aerodynamic drag.
• A sub-caliber projectile with a detachable tray. The point is that the pallet is torn off by air forces or centrifugal forces (with a rifled weapon). This allows you to significantly reduce air resistance in flight.

About cumulative

Such ammunition was first used by Nazi Germany in 1941. At that time, the USSR did not expect the use of such projectiles, since their principle of operation was known, but they were not yet in service. The key feature of such projectiles was that they had high armor penetration due to the presence of instantaneous fuses and a cumulative notch. The problem encountered for the first time was that the projectile rotated during its flight. This led to the dispersion of the cumulative arrow and, as a result, reduced armor penetration. To eliminate the negative effect, it was proposed to use smooth-bore guns.

Some interesting facts

It is worth noting that it was in the USSR that arrow-shaped armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles were developed. This was a real breakthrough, as it was possible to increase the length of the core. Almost no armor protected against a direct hit from such ammunition. Only a successful angle of inclination of the armor plate and, consequently, its increased thickness in the reduced state could help out. In the end, BOPS had the advantage of a flat flight path over a range of up to 4 km and high accuracy.

Conclusion

A cumulative sabot projectile is somewhat similar to a conventional sabot projectile. But it has a fuse in its body and explosive. When armor is penetrated by such ammunition, it provides a destructive effect on both equipment and manpower. Currently, the most common shells for cannons are 115, 120, 125 mm, as well as artillery shells 90, 100 and 105 mm. In general, this is all the information on this topic.