Development

Types of projectiles and the principle of their action. There is no trick against "crowbar". Why are armor-piercing sabot shells scary? How does an armor-piercing shell work?

home MOSCOW, July 23 – RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. If modern tank

fire with an armor-piercing "blank" from the Second World War, then, most likely, only a dent will remain at the point of impact - through penetration is practically impossible. The “layered” composite armor used today confidently withstands such a blow. But it can still be pierced with an awl. Or “crowbar,” as the tankers themselves call armor-piercing finned sabot projectiles (BOPS). Read about how these munitions work in the RIA Novosti article.

An awl instead of a sledgehammer From the title it is clear that sub-caliber ammunition

is a projectile with a caliber noticeably smaller than the caliber of the gun. Structurally, it is a “coil” with a diameter equal to the diameter of the barrel, in the center of which is the same tungsten or uranium “crowbar” that hits the enemy’s armor. When leaving the barrel bore, the coil, which has provided the core with sufficient kinetic energy and accelerated it to the required speed, is divided into parts under the influence of incoming air currents, and a thin and durable feathered pin flies towards the target. In a collision, due to its lower specific resistance, it penetrates armor much more effectively than a thick monolithic blank.

The armor impact of such “scrap” is colossal. Due to its relatively small mass - 3.5-4 kilograms - the core of a sub-caliber projectile immediately after the shot accelerates to a significant speed - about 1500 meters per second. When it hits the armor plate, it punches a small hole. The kinetic energy of the projectile is partially used to destroy the armor, and partially turns into thermal energy. Hot fragments of the core and armor exit into the armored space and spread like a fan, striking the crew and the internal mechanisms of the vehicle. In this case, numerous fires arise. An accurate hit from a BOPS can disable important components and assemblies, destroy or seriously injure crew members, jam a turret, pierce fuel tanks, undermine ammunition racks, and destroy chassis . Structurally, modern sabots are very different. Projectile bodies can be either monolithic or composite - a core or several cores in a shell, as well as longitudinally and transversely multilayered, with various types

The leading devices (the same “coils”) have different aerodynamics; they are made of steel, light alloys, and also composite materials - for example, carbon composites or aramid composites. Ballistic tips and dampers can be installed in the head parts of the BOPS. In short, for every taste - for any gun, for certain tank battle conditions and specific goal. The main advantages of such ammunition are high armor penetration, high approach speed, low sensitivity to the effects of dynamic protection, low vulnerability to complexes active protection, which simply do not have time to react to a fast and inconspicuous “arrow”.

"Mango" and "Lead"

For 125mm smoothbore guns domestic tanks Back in Soviet times, they developed a wide range of feathered “armor piercers”. They were taken up after the appearance of M1 Abrams and Leopard-2 tanks from a potential enemy. The army desperately needed shells capable of hitting new types of reinforced armor and overcoming reactive armor.

One of the most common BOPS in the arsenal Russian tanks T-72, T-80 and T-90 - the ZBM-44 "Mango" high-power projectile adopted for service in 1986. The ammunition has a rather complex design. A ballistic tip is installed in the head part of the swept body, under which there is an armor-piercing cap. Behind it is an armor-piercing damper, also playing important role in penetration. Immediately after the damper are two tungsten alloy cores held inside by a light alloy metal jacket. When a projectile collides with an obstacle, the jacket melts and releases the cores, which “bite” into the armor. In the tail part of the projectile there is a stabilizer in the form of an empennage with five blades, and at the base of the stabilizer there is a tracer. This “crowbar” weighs only about five kilograms, but is capable of penetrating almost half a meter of tank armor at a distance of up to two kilometers.

The newer ZBM-48 "Lead" was put into service in 1991. Standard Russian tank automatic loaders are limited in the length of their projectiles, so Svinets is the most massive domestic tank ammunition of this class. The length of the active part of the projectile is 63.5 centimeters. The core is made of uranium alloy, it has a high elongation, which increases penetration and also reduces the impact of dynamic protection. After all, the greater the length of the projectile, the smaller part of it interacts with passive and active barriers at a certain point in time. Sub-caliber stabilizers increase the accuracy of the projectile, and a new composite “coil” driving device is also used. The Svinets BOPS is the most powerful serial projectile for 125 mm tank guns, capable of competing with leading Western models. Average armor penetration on a homogeneous steel plate from two kilometers - 650 millimeters.

This is not the only similar development of the domestic defense industry - the media reported that the Vacuum-1 BOPS with a length of 900 millimeters was created and tested specifically for the newest T-14 Armata tank. Their armor penetration is close to a meter.

It is worth noting that the potential enemy is also not standing still. Back in 2016, Orbital ATK launched full-scale production of an advanced armor-piercing finned sabot projectile with the fifth-generation M829A4 tracer for the M1 tank. According to the developers, the ammunition penetrates 770 millimeters of armor.

) and 40 tons (“Puma”, “Namer”). In this regard, overcoming the armor protection of these vehicles poses a serious problem for anti-tank ammunition, which includes armor-piercing and cumulative projectiles, rockets and rocket-propelled grenades with kinetic and cumulative warheads, as well as striking elements with an impact core.

Among them, armor-piercing sabot shells and missiles with a kinetic warhead are the most effective. Possessing high armor penetration, they differ from other anti-tank ammunition in their high approach speed, low sensitivity to the effects of dynamic protection, relative independence of the weapon guidance system from natural/artificial interference, and low cost. Moreover, these types of anti-tank ammunition can be guaranteed to overcome the active protection system of armored vehicles, which are increasingly becoming widespread as the frontline for intercepting submunitions.

Currently, only armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles are accepted for service. They fire mainly from smooth-bore guns of small (30-57 mm), medium (76-125 mm) and large (140-152 mm) calibers. The projectile consists of a two-support drive device, the diameter of which coincides with the diameter of the barrel bore, consisting of sections that are separated after departure from the barrel, and a striking element - an armor-piercing rod, in the nose part of which a ballistic tip is installed, in the tail part - an aerodynamic stabilizer and a tracer charge.

The armor-piercing rod material used is ceramics based on tungsten carbide (density 15.77 g/cc), as well as metal alloys based on uranium (density 19.04 g/cc) or tungsten (density 19.1 g/cm3). cc) . The diameter of the armor-piercing rod ranges from 30 mm (outdated models) to 20 mm (modern models). The higher the density of the rod material and the smaller the diameter, the greater the specific pressure the projectile exerts on the armor at the point of its contact with the front end of the rod.

Metal rods have much greater bending strength than ceramic ones, which is very important when a projectile interacts with shrapnel elements of active protection or thrown dynamic protection plates. At the same time, the uranium alloy, despite its slightly lower density, has an advantage over tungsten - the armor penetration of the first is 15-20 percent greater due to the ablative self-sharpening of the rod in the process of penetrating armor, starting from an impact speed of 1600 m/s, provided by modern cannon shots.

Tungsten alloy begins to exhibit ablative self-sharpening starting at 2000 m/s, requiring new ways to accelerate projectiles. At lower speeds, the front end of the rod is flattened, increasing the penetration channel and reducing the depth of penetration of the rod into the armor.

Along with this advantage, uranium alloy has one drawback - in case nuclear conflict neutron radiation penetrating the tank induces secondary radiation in the uranium, affecting the crew. Therefore, in the arsenal armor-piercing shells It is necessary to have models with rods made of both uranium and tungsten alloys, designed for two types of warfare.

Uranium and tungsten alloys also have pyrophoricity - the ignition of heated metal dust particles in air after penetration of armor, which serves as an additional damaging factor. This property manifests itself in them, starting at the same speeds as ablative self-sharpening. Another damaging factor is heavy metal dust, which has a negative biological effect on the crew of enemy tanks.

The driving device is made of aluminum alloy or carbon fiber, the ballistic tip and aerodynamic stabilizer are made of steel. The driving device serves to accelerate the projectile in the bore, after which it is thrown back, so its weight should be minimized by using composite materials instead of aluminum alloy. The aerodynamic stabilizer is exposed to thermal effects from the powder gases generated during the combustion of the powder charge, which can affect the shooting accuracy, and therefore it is made of heat-resistant steel.

The armor penetration of kinetic projectiles and missiles is determined in the form of the thickness of a homogeneous steel plate installed perpendicular to the flight axis of the striking element, or at a certain angle. In the latter case, the reduced penetration of the equivalent thickness of the plate is ahead of the penetration of the plate installed along the normal, due to the large specific loads upon entry and exit of the armor-piercing rod into/from the inclined armor.

When entering inclined armor, the projectile forms a characteristic ridge above the penetration channel. The blades of the aerodynamic stabilizer, when destroyed, leave a characteristic “star” on the armor, by the number of rays of which one can determine the identity of the projectile (Russian - five rays). In the process of penetrating the armor, the rod is intensively ground down and significantly shortens its length. When leaving the armor, it bends elastically and changes the direction of its movement.

A typical representative of the penultimate generation of armor-piercing artillery ammunition is the Russian 125-mm separate-loading round 3BM19, which includes a 4Zh63 case with the main propellant charge and a 3BM44M case containing an additional propellant charge and the sub-caliber projectile 3BM42M “Lekalo”. Designed for use in the 2A46M1 gun and newer modifications. The dimensions of the shot allow it to be placed only in modified versions of the automatic loader.

The ceramic core of the projectile is made of tungsten carbide, placed in a steel protective casing. The driving device is made of carbon fiber. The material used for the cartridge cases (except for the steel tray of the main propellant charge) was cardboard impregnated with trinitrotoluene. The length of the cartridge case with the projectile is 740 mm, the length of the projectile is 730 mm, the length of the armor-piercing rod is 570 mm, the diameter is 22 mm. The weight of the shot is 20.3 kg, the cartridge case with the projectile is 10.7 kg, and the armor-piercing rod is 4.75 kg. The initial velocity of the projectile is 1750 m/s, armor penetration at a distance of 2000 meters along the normal 650 mm of homogeneous steel.

The latest generation of Russian armor-piercing artillery ammunition is represented by 125-mm separate-loading rounds 3VBM22 and 3VBM23, loaded in two types sub-caliber shells- respectively 3VBM59 “Svinets-1” with an armor-piercing rod made of tungsten alloy and 3VBM60 with an armor-piercing rod made of uranium alloy. The main propellant charge is loaded into a 4Zh96 Ozon-T cartridge case.

The dimensions of the new projectiles coincide with the dimensions of the Lekalo projectile. Their weight is increased to 5 kg due to the greater density of the rod material. To accelerate heavy projectiles, a larger main propellant charge is used in the barrel, which limits the use of shots including Svinets-1 and Svinets-2 projectiles only new gun 2A82, which has an enlarged charging chamber. Armor penetration at a distance of 2000 meters can be estimated, respectively, as 700 and 800 mm of homogeneous steel.

Unfortunately, the Lekalo, Svinets-1 and Svinets-2 projectiles have a significant design flaw in the form of centering screws located along the perimeter of the supporting surfaces of the driving devices (protrusions on the front supporting surface and points on the surface of the cartridge case visible in the figure ). The centering screws serve to stablely guide the projectile in the bore, but their heads have a destructive effect on the surface of the bore.

In foreign designs of the latest generation, precision obturator rings are used instead of screws, which reduces barrel wear by five times when firing an armor-piercing sabot projectile.

The previous generation of foreign armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles is represented by the German DM63, which is part of a unitary shot for the standard 120-mm NATO smoothbore gun. The armor-piercing rod is made of tungsten alloy. The weight of the shot is 21.4 kg, the weight of the projectile is 8.35 kg, and the weight of the armor-piercing rod is 5 kg. Shot length is 982 mm, projectile length is 745 mm, core length is 570 mm, diameter is 22 mm. When firing from a cannon with a barrel length of 55 calibers, the initial speed is 1730 m/s, the speed drop along the flight path is stated at 55 m/s for every 1000 meters. Armor penetration at a distance of 2000 meters is normally estimated at 700 mm of homogeneous steel.

The latest generation of foreign armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles includes the American M829A3, which is also part of the unitary round for the standard 120-mm NATO smoothbore gun. Unlike the D63 projectile, the armor-piercing rod of the M829A3 projectile is made of uranium alloy. The weight of the shot is 22.3 kg, the weight of the projectile is 10 kg, and the weight of the armor-piercing rod is 6 kg. The shot length is 982 mm, the projectile length is 924 mm, the core length is 800 mm. When firing from a cannon with a 55-caliber barrel length, the initial speed is 1640 m/s, the speed drop is stated at 59.5 m/s for every 1000 meters. Armor penetration at a distance of 2000 meters is estimated at 850 mm of homogeneous steel.

When comparing the latest generation of Russian and American sub-caliber projectiles equipped with armor-piercing uranium alloy cores, a difference in the level of armor penetration is visible, largely due to the degree of elongation of their striking elements - 26-fold for the rod of the Svinets-2 projectile and 37-fold for the rod M829A3 projectile. In the latter case, a quarter greater specific load is provided at the point of contact between the rod and the armor. In general, the dependence of the armor penetration value of projectiles on the speed, weight and elongation of their striking elements is presented in the following diagram.

An obstacle to increasing the elongation of the striking element and, consequently, the armor penetration of Russian shells is the automatic loader device, first implemented in 1964 in the Soviet T-64 tank and repeated in all subsequent models of domestic tanks, which provides for the horizontal arrangement of shells in a conveyor, the diameter of which is not may exceed the internal width of the body, equal to two meters. Taking into account the diameter of the casing of Russian shells, their length is limited to 740 mm, which is 182 mm less than the length of American shells.

In order to achieve parity with cannon armament potential enemy for our tank building, the primary task for the future is the transition to unitary shots, placed vertically in the automatic loader, the shells of which have a length of at least 924 mm.

Other ways to increase the effectiveness of traditional armor-piercing projectiles without increasing the caliber of guns have practically exhausted themselves due to restrictions on the pressure in the charging chamber of the barrel, developed during the combustion of a powder charge, due to the strength of weapon steel. When moving to a larger caliber, the size of the shots becomes comparable to the width of the tank hull, forcing the shells to be placed in the rear niche of a turret of increased dimensions and a low degree of protection. For comparison, the photo shows a shot of 140 mm caliber and a length of 1485 mm next to a mock-up of a 120 mm caliber shot and a length of 982 mm.

In this regard, in the USA, within the framework of the MRM (Mid Range Munition) program, active-missile projectiles MRM-KE with a kinetic warhead and MRM-CE with a cumulative warhead were developed. They are loaded into a standard 120 mm cannon shot cartridge with a propellant charge. The caliber housing of the projectiles contains a radar homing head (GOS), a striking element (an armor-piercing rod or a shaped charge), impulse trajectory correction engines, an accelerating rocket engine and a tail unit. The weight of one projectile is 18 kg, the weight of the armor-piercing rod is 3.7 kg. The initial speed at the muzzle level is 1100 m/s, after completion of the accelerating engine it increases to 1650 m/s.

Even more impressive figures have been achieved within the framework of the creation of anti-tank kinetic rocket CKEM (Compact Kinetic Energy Missile), the length of which is 1500 mm, weight 45 kg. The rocket is launched from a transport and launch container using a powder charge, after which the rocket is accelerated by a booster solid propellant engine to a speed of almost 2000 m/s (Mach 6.5) in 0.5 seconds.

The subsequent ballistic flight of the missile is carried out under the control of a radar seeker and aerodynamic rudders with stabilization in the air using the tail. The minimum effective firing range is 400 meters. The kinetic energy of the striking element - the armor-piercing rod at the end of the reactive acceleration reaches 10 mJ.

During testing of the MRM-KE projectiles and the CKEM missile, the main drawback of their design was revealed - unlike sub-caliber armor-piercing projectiles with a separable leading device, the inertial flight of the striking elements of the caliber projectile and kinetic missile is carried out in assembly with a body of large cross-section and increased aerodynamic resistance, which causes a significant drop in speed along the trajectory and a decrease in the effective firing range. In addition, the radar seeker, pulse correction engines and aerodynamic rudders have low weight perfection, which forces the weight of the armor-piercing rod to be reduced, which negatively affects its penetration.

The way out of this situation is seen in the transition to the separation in flight of the caliber body of the projectile/missile and the armor-piercing rod after the completion of the rocket engine, by analogy with the separation of the driving device and the armor-piercing rod included in the sub-caliber projectiles after their departure from the barrel. Separation can be carried out using an expelling powder charge, triggered at the end of the acceleration phase of the flight. The seeker of a reduced size should be located directly in the ballistic tip of the rod, while control of the flight vector must be implemented on new principles.

A similar technical problem was solved within the framework of the BLAM (Barrel Launched Adaptive Munition) project to create small-caliber guided artillery shells, carried out at the AAL (Adaptive Aerostructures Laboratory) at Auburn University for the US Air Force. The goal of the project was to create a compact homing system that combines a target detector, a controlled aerodynamic surface and its drive in one volume.

The developers decided to change the direction of flight by deflecting the head end of the projectile at a small angle. At supersonic speeds, a deflection of a fraction of a degree is quite enough to create a force capable of carrying out a control action. Technical solution a simple one was proposed - the ballistic tip of the projectile rests on a spherical surface, which plays the role of a ball joint; several piezoceramic rods are used to drive the tip, arranged in a circle at an angle to the longitudinal axis. Changing their length depending on the applied voltage, the rods deflect the tip of the projectile to the desired angle and with the desired frequency.

Calculations determined the strength requirements for the control system:
— acceleration acceleration up to 20,000 g;
— acceleration along the trajectory up to 5,000 g;
— projectile speed up to 5000 m/s;
— tip deflection angle up to 0.12 degrees;
— drive operating frequency up to 200 Hz;
— drive power 0.028 Watt.

Recent advances in the miniaturization of infrared radiation sensors, laser accelerometers, computing processors and lithium-ion power sources resistant to high accelerations (such as electronic devices for guided projectiles - American and Russian) make it possible in the period until 2020 to create and adopt kinetic shells and missiles with an initial flight speed of over two kilometers per second, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of anti-tank ammunition, and will also make it possible to abandon the use of uranium as part of their destructive elements.

There are many types of projectiles implemented in War Thunder, each of which has its own characteristics. In order to competently compare different projectiles, choose the main type of ammunition before battle, and in battle use suitable projectiles for different purposes in different situations, you need to know the basics of their design and operating principle. This article describes the types of projectiles and their design, as well as provides tips on their use in combat. You should not neglect this knowledge, because the effectiveness of the weapon largely depends on the shells for it.

Types of tank ammunition

Armor-piercing caliber projectiles

Chambered and solid armor-piercing shells

As the name suggests, the purpose of armor-piercing shells is to penetrate the armor and thereby hit the tank. Armor-piercing shells come in two types: chambered and solid. Chamber shells have a special cavity inside - a chamber in which the explosive is located. When such a projectile penetrates the armor, the fuse is triggered and the projectile explodes. The crew of an enemy tank is hit not only by fragments from the armor, but also by the explosion and fragments of a chambered shell. The explosion does not occur immediately, but with a delay, thanks to which the projectile has time to fly inside the tank and explodes there, causing the greatest damage. In addition, the sensitivity of the fuse is set to, for example, 15 mm, that is, the fuse will only work if the thickness of the armor being penetrated is above 15 mm. This is necessary so that the chamber shell explodes in the fighting compartment when penetrating the main armor, and does not cock against the screens.

A solid projectile does not have a chamber with explosives; it is simply a metal blank. Of course, solid shells cause much less damage, but they penetrate a greater thickness of armor than similar chamber shells, since solid shells are stronger and heavier. For example, the BR-350A armor-piercing chamber projectile from the F-34 cannon penetrates 80 mm at right angles at point-blank range, and the BR-350SP solid projectile penetrates as much as 105 mm. The use of solid shells is very typical for the British school of tank building. Things got to the point where the British removed explosives from American 75-mm chamber shells, turning them into solid shells.

The destructive power of solid projectiles depends on the ratio of the thickness of the armor and the armor penetration of the projectile:

If the armor is too thin, then the projectile will pierce right through it and damage only those elements that it hits along the way.
If the armor is too thick (at the border of penetration), then small non-lethal fragments are formed that will not cause much harm.
Maximum armor effect - in case of penetration of sufficiently thick armor, while the penetration of the projectile should not be completely used up.

Thus, in the presence of several solid shells, the best armor effect will be with the one with greater armor penetration. As for chamber shells, the damage also depends on the number explosive in TNT equivalent, as well as whether the fuse worked or not.

Sharp-headed and blunt-headed armor-piercing shells

An oblique blow to the armor: a - a sharp-headed projectile; b - blunt-headed projectile; c - arrow-shaped sub-caliber projectile

Armor-piercing shells are divided not only into chambered and solid, but also into sharp-headed and blunt-headed. Sharp-headed projectiles pierce thicker armor at right angles, since at the moment of contact with the armor, the entire force of the impact falls on a small area of the armor plate. However, the efficiency of work against inclined armor for sharp-headed projectiles is lower due to a greater tendency to ricochet at large angles of contact with the armor. Conversely, blunt-headed shells penetrate thicker armor at an angle than sharp-headed shells, but have less armor penetration at a right angle. Let's take, for example, the armor-piercing chamber shells of the T-34-85 tank. At a distance of 10 meters, the sharp-headed BR-365K projectile penetrates 145 mm at a right angle and 52 mm at an angle of 30°, and the blunt-headed BR-365A projectile penetrates 142 mm at a right angle, but 58 mm at an angle of 30°.

In addition to sharp-headed and blunt-headed projectiles, there are sharp-headed projectiles with an armor-piercing tip. When meeting an armor plate at a right angle, such a projectile works like a sharp-headed projectile and has good armor penetration compared to a similar blunt-headed projectile. When hitting inclined armor, the armor-piercing tip “bites” the projectile, preventing ricochet, and the projectile works like a blunt-headed one.

However, sharp-headed projectiles with an armor-piercing tip, like blunt-headed projectiles, have a significant drawback - greater aerodynamic drag, which is why armor penetration at a distance decreases more than with sharp-headed projectiles. To improve aerodynamics, ballistic caps are used, which increases armor penetration at medium and long distances. For example, on the German 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun two armor-piercing chamber shells are available, one with a ballistic cap and the other without it. An armor-piercing sharp-headed projectile with a PzGr armor-piercing tip at a right angle penetrates 266 mm at 10 meters and 157 mm at 2000 meters. And here armor-piercing projectile with an armor-piercing tip and a ballistic cap, the PzGr 43 at right angles penetrates 269 mm at 10 meters and 208 mm at 2000 meters. In close combat there are no particular differences between them, but at long distances the difference in armor penetration is huge.

Armor-piercing chamber shells with an armor-piercing tip and a ballistic cap are the most versatile type armor-piercing ammunition, which combines the advantages of sharp-headed and blunt-headed projectiles.

Table of armor-piercing shells

Sharp-headed armor-piercing shells can be chambered or solid. The same applies to blunt-headed shells, as well as sharp-headed shells with an armor-piercing tip, and so on. Let's summarize all possible options in a table. Under the icon of each projectile are written the abbreviated names of the projectile type in English terminology; these are the terms used in the book “WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery”, according to which many projectiles in the game are configured. If you hover over the abbreviated name with the mouse cursor, a hint with decoding and translation will appear.

	Dumbheaded (with ballistic cap)	Pointy-headed	Pointy-headed with armor-piercing tip	Pointy-headed with armor-piercing tip and ballistic cap
Solid projectile	APBC	AP	APC	APCBC
Chamber projectile		APHE	APHEC

Sub-caliber shells

Coil sabot shells

Action of a sub-caliber projectile:
1 - ballistic cap
2 - body
3 - core

Armor-piercing caliber projectiles were described above. They are called caliber because the diameter of their warhead is equal to the caliber of the gun. There are also armor-piercing sabot shells, the diameter of the warhead of which is smaller than the caliber of the gun. The simplest type of sub-caliber projectile is coil-type (APCR - Armour-Piercing Composite Rigid). A reel-to-reel sabot projectile consists of three parts: a body, a ballistic cap and a core. The housing serves to accelerate the projectile in the barrel. At the moment of contact with the armor, the ballistic cap and body are crushed, and the core pierces the armor, hitting the tank with fragments.

At close ranges, sub-caliber shells penetrate thicker armor than caliber shells. Firstly, a sub-caliber projectile is smaller and lighter than a conventional armor-piercing projectile, due to which it accelerates to higher speeds. Secondly, the projectile core is made of hard alloys with a high specific gravity. Thirdly, due to the small size of the core, at the moment of contact with the armor, the impact energy falls on a small area of the armor.

But reel-fired sub-caliber shells also have significant disadvantages. Due to relatively light weight sub-caliber shells are ineffective at long distances; they lose energy faster, hence the drop in accuracy and armor penetration. The core does not have an explosive charge, therefore, in terms of armor effect, sub-caliber shells are much weaker than chamber shells. Finally, sub-caliber projectiles do not work well against sloping armor.

Coil-type sabot shells were effective only in close combat and were used in cases where enemy tanks were invulnerable to caliber armor-piercing shells. The use of sub-caliber shells made it possible to significantly increase the armor penetration of existing guns, which made it possible to hit even outdated guns against more modern, well-armored armored vehicles.

Sub-caliber shells with detachable tray

APDS projectile and its core

APDS projectile in section, showing the core with a ballistic tip

Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) is a further development of the design of sub-caliber projectiles.

Coil-fired sabot shells had a significant drawback: the body flew along with the core, increasing aerodynamic drag and, as a result, a decrease in accuracy and armor penetration at a distance. For sub-caliber projectiles with a detachable pan, instead of a body, a detachable pan was used, which first accelerated the projectile in the gun barrel, and then was separated from the core by air resistance. The core flew to the target without a pallet and, thanks to significantly lower aerodynamic drag, did not lose armor penetration at a distance as quickly as coil-type sub-caliber projectiles.

During the Second World War, sub-caliber shells with a detachable tray were distinguished by record armor penetration and flight speed. For example, the Shot SV Mk.1 sub-caliber projectile for a 17-pounder gun accelerated to 1203 m/s and penetrated 228 mm of soft armor at a right angle at 10 meters, and the Shot Mk.8 armor-piercing caliber projectile only 171 mm in the same conditions.

Feathered sub-caliber projectiles

Separation of the pallet from the BOPS

BOPS projectile

Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) is the most modern look armor-piercing projectiles designed to destroy heavily armored vehicles protected the latest types armor and active protection.

These projectiles are a further development of sub-caliber projectiles with a detachable pan; they have an even greater length and a smaller cross-section. Rotational stabilization is not very effective for high aspect ratio projectiles, so armor-piercing finned sabot (APS) rounds are stabilized by fins and are typically used for firing from smoothbore guns (however, early FEPT and some modern ones are designed to be fired from rifled guns). guns).

Modern BOPS projectiles have a diameter of 2-3 cm and a length of 50-60 cm. To maximize the specific pressure and kinetic energy of the projectile, high-density materials are used in the manufacture of ammunition - tungsten carbide or an alloy based on depleted uranium. The muzzle velocity of the BOPS is up to 1900 m/s.

Concrete-piercing shells

A concrete-piercing shell is an artillery shell designed to destroy long-term fortifications and durable buildings of permanent construction, as well as to destroy the manpower hidden in them and military equipment enemy. Concrete-piercing shells were often used to destroy concrete bunkers.

From a design point of view, concrete-piercing shells occupy an intermediate position between armor-piercing chamber and high-explosive fragmentation shells. Compared to high-explosive fragmentation projectiles of the same caliber, with a similar destructive potential of the explosive charge, concrete-piercing ammunition has a more massive and durable body, allowing them to penetrate deeply into reinforced concrete, stone and brick barriers. Compared to armor-piercing chamber shells, concrete-piercing shells have more explosive material, but a less durable body, so concrete-piercing shells are inferior to them in armor penetration.

The G-530 concrete-piercing shell weighing 40 kg is included in the ammunition load of the KV-2 tank, the main purpose of which was the destruction of bunkers and other fortifications.

HEAT shells

Rotating cumulative projectiles

Design of a cumulative projectile:
1 - fairing
2 - air cavity
3 - metal cladding
4 - detonator
5 - explosive
6 - piezoelectric fuse

The cumulative projectile (HEAT - High-Explosive Anti-Tank) is significantly different in principle from kinetic ammunition, which includes conventional armor-piercing and sub-caliber projectiles. It is a thin-walled steel projectile filled with a powerful explosive - hexogen, or a mixture of TNT and hexogen. At the front of the projectile in the explosive there is a glass-shaped or cone-shaped recess lined with metal (usually copper) - a focusing funnel. The projectile has a sensitive head fuse.

When a projectile collides with armor, an explosive is detonated. Due to the presence of a focusing funnel in the projectile, part of the explosion energy is concentrated at one small point, forming a thin cumulative jet consisting of the metal lining of that same funnel and explosion products. The cumulative jet flies forward at enormous speed (approximately 5,000 - 10,000 m/s) and passes through the armor due to the monstrous pressure it creates (like a needle through oil), under the influence of which any metal enters a state of superfluidity or, in other words, leads itself like a liquid. The damaging effect behind the armor is provided both by the cumulative jet itself and by the hot drops of pierced armor squeezed inside.

The most important advantage of a cumulative projectile is that its armor penetration does not depend on the speed of the projectile and is the same at all distances. That is why cumulative shells were used on howitzers, since conventional armor-piercing shells for them would be ineffective due to their low flight speed. But the cumulative shells of World War II also had significant drawbacks that limited their use. Rotation of the projectile at high initial speeds made it difficult to form a cumulative jet; as a result, cumulative projectiles had a low initial speed, small sighting range firing and high dispersion, which was also facilitated by the non-optimal shape of the projectile head from an aerodynamic point of view. The manufacturing technology of these projectiles at that time was not sufficiently developed, so their armor penetration was relatively low (approximately the same as the caliber of the projectile or slightly higher) and was unstable.

Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectiles

Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectiles (HEAT-FS - High-Explosive Anti-Tank Fin-Stabilised) represent a further development of cumulative ammunition. Unlike early cumulative projectiles, they are stabilized in flight not by rotation, but by folding tails. The absence of rotation improves the formation of a cumulative jet and significantly increases armor penetration, while removing all restrictions on the projectile's flight speed, which can exceed 1000 m/s. Thus, early cumulative shells had a typical armor penetration of 1-1.5 calibers, while post-war ones had 4 or more. However, feathered projectiles have a slightly lower armor effect compared to conventional cumulative projectiles.

Fragmentation and high-explosive shells

High-explosive fragmentation shells

A high-explosive fragmentation projectile (HE - High-Explosive) is a thin-walled steel or cast iron projectile filled with an explosive (usually TNT or ammonite), with a head fuse. When the projectile hits the target, it immediately explodes, hitting the target with fragments and a blast wave. Compared to concrete-piercing and armor-piercing chamber shells, high-explosive fragmentation shells have very thin walls, but have more explosive.

The main purpose of high-explosive fragmentation shells is to defeat enemy personnel, as well as unarmored and lightly armored vehicles. High-explosive fragmentation shells of large caliber can be very effectively used to destroy lightly armored tanks and self-propelled guns, since they break through relatively thin armor and incapacitate the crew with the force of the explosion. Tanks and self-propelled guns with shell-resistant armor are resistant to high-explosive fragmentation shells. However, even them can be hit by large-caliber shells: the explosion destroys the tracks, damages the gun barrel, jams the turret, and the crew is injured and concussed.

Shrapnel shells

The shrapnel projectile is a cylindrical body divided by a partition (diaphragm) into 2 compartments. An explosive charge is placed in the bottom compartment, and spherical bullets are located in the other compartment. A tube filled with a slow-burning pyrotechnic composition runs along the axis of the projectile.

The main purpose of a shrapnel projectile is to defeat enemy personnel. This happens as follows. At the moment of firing, the composition in the tube ignites. Gradually it burns and transfers the fire to the explosive charge. The charge ignites and explodes, squeezing out the partition with bullets. The head of the projectile comes off and the bullets fly out along the axis of the projectile, deflecting slightly to the sides and hitting enemy infantry.

In the absence of armor-piercing shells in the early stages of the war, artillerymen often used shrapnel shells with a tube set “to strike.” In terms of its qualities, such a projectile occupied an intermediate position between high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing, which is reflected in the game.

Armor-piercing high-explosive shells

Armor-piercing high-explosive projectile (HESH - High Explosive Squash Head) is a post-war type of anti-tank projectile, the principle of which is based on the detonation of a plastic explosive on the surface of the armor, which causes fragments of armor to break off on the rear side and damage the fighting compartment of the vehicle. An armor-piercing high-explosive projectile has a body with relatively thin walls designed for plastic deformation when encountering an obstacle, as well as a bottom fuse. The charge of an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile consists of a plastic explosive that “spreads” over the surface of the armor when the projectile meets an obstacle.

After “spreading,” the charge is detonated by a delayed-action bottom fuse, which causes destruction of the rear surface of the armor and the formation of spalls that can damage the internal equipment of the vehicle or crew members. In some cases, through penetration of the armor may occur in the form of a puncture, break or knocked out plug. The penetration ability of an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile depends less on the angle of inclination of the armor compared to conventional armor-piercing projectiles.

ATGM Malyutka (1st generation)

Shillelagh ATGM (2nd generation)

Anti-tank guided missiles

Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a guided missile designed to destroy tanks and other armored targets. The former name of ATGM is “anti-tank guided missile”. ATGMs in the game are solid-fuel missiles equipped with on-board control systems (operating according to operator commands) and flight stabilization, devices for receiving and deciphering control signals received via wires (or via infrared or radio command control channels). Warhead cumulative, with armor penetration 400-600 mm. The missiles' flight speed is only 150-323 m/s, but the target can be successfully hit at a distance of up to 3 kilometers.

The game features ATGMs of two generations:

First generation (manual command system guidance)- in reality they are controlled manually by the operator using a joystick, English. MCLOS. In realistic and simulator modes, these missiles are controlled using the WSAD keys.
Second generation (semi-automatic command guidance system)- in reality and in all game modes they are controlled by pointing the sight at the target, English. SACLOS. The game's sight is either the center of the optical sight crosshair or a large white round marker (reload indicator) in a third-person view.

In arcade mode, there is no difference between the generations of missiles; they are all controlled using the sight, like the second generation missiles.

ATGMs are also distinguished by their launch method.

1) Launched from a tank barrel. To do this, you need either a smooth barrel: an example is the smooth barrel of the 125-mm gun of the T-64 tank. Or a keyway is made in the rifled barrel into which the missile is inserted, for example in the Sheridan tank.
2) Launched from guides. Closed, tubular (or square), for example, like the RakJPz 2 tank destroyer with the HOT-1 ATGM. Or open, rail-mounted (for example, like the IT-1 tank destroyer with the 2K4 Dragon ATGM).

As a rule, the more modern and the larger the caliber of the ATGM, the more it penetrates. ATGMs were constantly improved - manufacturing technology, materials science, and explosives were improved. Combined armor and dynamic protection. As well as special anti-cumulative armor screens located at some distance from the main armor.

Appearance and design of projectiles

Armor-piercing sharp-headed chamber projectile

Sharp-headed projectile with armor-piercing tip

Sharp-headed projectile with armor-piercing tip and ballistic cap

Armor-piercing blunt-nosed projectile with ballistic cap

Sub-caliber projectile

Sub-caliber projectile with detachable tray

HEAT projectile

Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectile

Denormalization phenomenon that increases the path of a projectile in armor

Starting from game version 1.49, the effect of projectiles on inclined armor has been redesigned. Now the value of the reduced armor thickness (armor thickness ÷ cosine of the angle of inclination) is valid only for calculating the penetration of cumulative projectiles. For armor-piercing and especially sub-caliber projectiles, penetration of inclined armor was significantly weakened due to taking into account the denormalization effect, when a short projectile turns around during the penetration process, and its path in the armor increases.
Thus, with an armor tilt angle of 60°, previously the penetration of all projectiles dropped by approximately 2 times. Now this is only true for cumulative and armor-piercing high-explosive shells. In this case, penetration of armor-piercing shells drops by 2.3-2.9 times, for conventional sub-caliber shells - by 3-4 times, and for sub-caliber shells with a separating pan (including BOPS) - by 2.5 times.
List of shells in order of deterioration of their performance on inclined armor:
1. Cumulative And armor-piercing high-explosive- the most effective.
2. Armor-piercing meathead And armor-piercing sharp-headed with armor-piercing tip.
3. Armor-piercing sub-caliber with detachable tray And BOPS.
4. Armor-piercing sharphead And shrapnel.
5. Armor-piercing sub-caliber- the most ineffective.
What stands out here is a high-explosive fragmentation projectile, for which the probability of penetrating armor does not depend at all on its angle of inclination (provided that there is no ricochet).

Armor-piercing chamber shells

For such projectiles, the fuse is cocked at the moment of penetration of the armor and detonates the projectile after a certain time, which ensures a very high armor protection effect. The projectile parameters indicate two important meanings: fuze sensitivity and fuze delay.
If the thickness of the armor is less than the sensitivity of the fuse, then the explosion will not occur, and the projectile will work as a regular solid one, causing damage only to those modules that are in its path, or will simply fly through the target without causing damage. Therefore, when firing at unarmored targets, chamber shells are not very effective (as are all others, except high-explosive and shrapnel).
The fuze delay determines the time it takes for the projectile to explode after penetrating the armor. Too short a delay (in particular, for the Soviet MD-5 fuse) leads to the fact that when it hits an attached element of the tank (screen, track, chassis, caterpillar), the projectile explodes almost immediately and does not have time to penetrate the armor. Therefore, it is better not to use such shells when firing at shielded tanks. Too much delay in the fuse can lead to the projectile going right through and exploding outside the tank (although such cases are very rare).
If a chamber shell is detonated in the fuel tank or ammunition rack, there is a high probability that an explosion will occur and the tank will be destroyed.

Armor-piercing sharp-headed and blunt-headed projectiles

Depending on the shape of the armor-piercing part of the projectile, its tendency to ricochet, armor penetration and normalization differ. General rule: blunt-headed shells are best used against opponents with sloped armor, and sharp-headed shells - if the armor is not sloped. However, the difference in armor penetration between both types is not very large.
The presence of armor-piercing and/or ballistic caps significantly improves the properties of the projectile.

Sub-caliber shells

This type of projectile is characterized by high armor penetration at short distances and very high speed flight, making it easier to shoot at moving targets.
However, when the armor is penetrated, only a thin carbide rod appears in the space behind the armor, which causes damage only to those modules and crew members in which it hits (unlike an armor-piercing chamber projectile, which covers everything with fragments). fighting compartment). Therefore, to effectively destroy a tank with a sub-caliber projectile, you should shoot at its vulnerable places: engine, ammunition rack, fuel tanks. But even in this case, one hit may not be enough to disable the tank. If you shoot at random (especially at the same point), you may need to fire many shots to disable the tank, and the enemy may get ahead of you.
Another problem with sub-caliber projectiles is the severe loss of armor penetration with distance due to their low mass. Studying armor penetration tables shows at what distance you need to switch to a regular armor-piercing projectile, which, in addition, has a much greater lethality.

HEAT shells

The armor penetration of these shells does not depend on distance, which allows them to be used with equal effectiveness for both close and long-range combat. However, due to the design features, cumulative projectiles often have a lower flight speed than other types, as a result of which the shot trajectory becomes hinged, accuracy suffers, and hitting moving targets (especially on long distance) it becomes very difficult.
The principle of operation of a cumulative projectile also determines its not very high destructive power compared to an armor-piercing chamber projectile: the cumulative jet flies over a limited distance inside the tank and causes damage only to those components and crew members that it directly hit. Therefore, when using a cumulative projectile, you should aim just as carefully as in the case of a sub-caliber projectile.
If a cumulative projectile hits not the armor, but an attached element of the tank (screen, track, caterpillar, chassis), then it will explode on this element, and the armor penetration of the cumulative jet will significantly decrease (every centimeter of the jet's flight in the air reduces the armor penetration by 1 mm) . Therefore, other types of shells should be used against tanks with screens, and one should not hope to penetrate the armor with cumulative shells by shooting at the tracks, chassis and gun mantlet. Remember that premature detonation of a shell can cause any obstacle - a fence, a tree, any building.
Cumulative shells in life and in the game have a high-explosive effect, that is, they also work as high-explosive fragmentation shells of reduced power ( lightweight body produces fewer fragments). Thus, large-caliber cumulative shells can be quite successfully used instead of high-explosive fragmentation shells when firing at weakly armored vehicles.

High-explosive fragmentation shells

The lethality of these shells depends on the relationship between the caliber of your gun and the armor of your target. Thus, shells with a caliber of 50 mm and less are effective only against airplanes and trucks, 75-85 mm - against light tanks with bulletproof armor, 122 mm - against medium tanks, such as the T-34, 152 mm - against all tanks, with the exception of shooting head-on at the most armored vehicles.
However, we must remember that the damage caused significantly depends on the specific point of impact, so there are often cases when even a 122-152 mm caliber projectile causes very minor damage. And in the case of guns with a smaller caliber, in doubtful cases, it is better to use an armor-piercing chamber or shrapnel projectile, which have greater penetration and high lethality.

Shells - part 2

What's better to shoot? Review of tank shells from _Omero_