What is a sub-caliber projectile. Armor-piercing kinetic projectiles and rockets. Armor-piercing sharp-headed and blunt-headed projectiles

120 mm shots of the Israeli company IMI. In the foreground is an M829 shot (USA), manufactured by IMI under license.

Terminology

Armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles can be abbreviated as BOPS, OBPS, OPS, BPS. Currently, the abbreviation BPS is also applied to feathered sabot arrow-shaped projectiles, although it should be correctly used to designate sabot armor-piercing projectiles of the usual elongation for rifled artillery projectiles. The name armor-piercing feathered swept ammunition is applicable to rifled and smooth-bore artillery systems.

Device

Ammunition of this type consists of an arrow-shaped feathered projectile, the body (body) of which (or the core inside the body) is made of a durable and high-density material, and the feathering is made of traditional structural alloys. The materials most used for the body include heavy alloys (of the VNZh type, etc.), uranium alloys (for example, the American Stabilloy alloy or the domestic analogue of the UNTs alloy type). The plumage is made of aluminum alloys or steel.

With the help of annular grooves (forgings), the BOPS body is connected to a sector pallet made of steel or high-strength aluminum alloys (type V-95, V-96Ts1 and similar). A sector pallet is also called a master device (VU) and consists of three or more sectors. The pallets are fastened to each other by leading bands made of metal or plastic and in this form are finally fixed in a metal sleeve or in the body of a burning sleeve. After leaving the gun barrel, the sector pallet is separated from the body of the BOPS under the action of the oncoming air flow, breaking the leading belts, while the body of the projectile itself continues to fly towards the target. Dropped sectors, having high aerodynamic drag, slow down in the air and fall at some distance (from hundreds of meters to more than a kilometer) from the muzzle of the gun. In the event of a miss, the BOPS itself, which has low aerodynamic drag, can fly away to a distance of 30 to more than 50 km from the muzzle of the gun.

The designs of modern BOPS are extremely diverse: the bodies of shells can be either monolithic or composite (a core or several cores in a shell, as well as longitudinally and transversely multilayered), plumage can be almost equal to the caliber of an artillery gun or sub-caliber, made of steel or light alloys. Leading devices (VU) can have a different principle of distribution of the gas pressure action vector into sectors (VU of the "expanding" or "clamping" type), a different number of places for conducting sectors, be made of steel, light alloys, and also composite materials - for example, from carbon composites or aramid composites. Ballistic tips and dampers can be installed in the head parts of the BOPS bodies. Additives can be added to the material of tungsten alloy cores to increase the pyrophoricity of the cores. Tracers can be installed in the tail parts of the BOPS.

The mass of BOPS bodies with plumage ranges from 3.6 kg in old models to 5-6 kg or more in models for advanced tank guns of 140-155 mm caliber.

The diameter of BOPS bodies without plumage ranges from 40 mm in older models to 22 mm or less in new promising BOPS with a large elongation. The elongation of BOPS is constantly increasing and ranges from 10 to 30 or more.

Heavy alloy cores with elongations exceeding 30 are prone to bending deformations when driven through the bore and after separation of the pallet, as well as to destruction when interacting with multi-barrier and spaced armor. The density of the material is currently limited, since at present there are no materials denser than tungsten and uranium in technology that are practically used for military purposes. The speed of the BOPS is also limited to values in the range of 1500-1800 m / s and depends on the design of artillery pieces and ammunition for them. A further increase in speed is associated with research work, carried out in the field of throwing shells with the help of artillery guns on liquid propellants (LMP), with an electrothermochemical method of throwing, with an electrothermal method of throwing, an electric (magnetic) method of throwing using railguns, Gauss systems, their combinations, as well as combinations of electrothermochemical and electromagnetic methods of throwing. At the same time, an increase in velocity above 2000 m/s for many variants of projectile materials leads to a decrease in armor penetration. The reason is the destruction of the projectile upon contact with most variants of armored barriers, which ultimately exceeds the increase in armor penetration due to the increase in speed. As such, projectile velocity generally increases armor penetration as it increases, while the durability of armor materials decreases at the same time. The effect in some cases can be summed up, in some - not, if we are talking about complex armored barriers. For monoblocks, these are often just different names for the same process.

In the USSR and Russia, several types of BOPS are widely known, created in different times and having their own names, which arose from the name / cipher of R&D. The following are BOPS in chronological order from old to new. The device and material of the BOPS body are briefly indicated:

"Hairpin" 3BM22 - a small core of tungsten carbide in the head of the steel body (1976);
"Nadfil-2" 3BM30 - uranium alloy (1982);
"Hope" 3BM27 - a small core made of tungsten alloy in the tail section of a steel body (1983);
"Vant" 3BM32 - a monolithic body made of a uranium alloy (1985);
"Mango" 3BM42 - two elongated tungsten alloy cores in a steel body jacket (1986);
"Lead" 3BM48 - a monolithic body made of a uranium alloy (1991);
Anker 3BM39 (1990s);
"Lekalo" 3BM44 M? - improved alloy (details unknown) (1997); perhaps this BOPS is called the "Projectile of increased power";
"Lead-2" - judging by the index, a modified projectile with a uranium core (details unknown).

Other BOPS also have proper names. For example, a 100 mm anti-tank smoothbore gun has the Valshchik ammunition, a 115 mm tank gun has the Kamerger ammunition, etc.

Armor penetration indicators

Comparative evaluation of armor penetration indicators is associated with significant difficulties. The assessment of armor penetration indicators is influenced by quite different test methods for BOPS in different countries, the lack of a standard type of armor for testing in different countries, different conditions placement of armor (compact or spaced apart), as well as constant manipulations by developers of all countries with firing ranges of test armor, armor installation angles before testing, various statistical methods for processing test results. As a test material in Russia and NATO countries, homogeneous rolled armor is adopted; composite targets are used to obtain more accurate results.

According to published data [ ], an increase in the elongation of the flight part to a value of 30 made it possible to increase the relative thickness of the pierced katana homogeneous armor standard RHA (ratio of armor thickness to gun caliber, b / d p) to values: 5.0 in caliber 105 mm, and 6.8 in caliber 120 mm.

a number of other US

BOPS М829А1 for a gun of caliber 120 mm (USA) - 700 mm;
BOPS M829A2- 730 mm;
BOPS M829A3- 765 mm; often mentioned for many years "before 800"
BOPS M829A4 nothing has been announced, outwardly it is quite consistent with its predecessor.

Germany

Of the known BPS of other countries, no record-breaking ammunition has been observed over the past decades, which has little to do with the actual state of the situation, especially in the sense of additional data (for example, the number of shells and guns and the security of the carrier).

History

The emergence of BOPS was due to the lack of armor penetration of conventional armor-piercing and sub-caliber rounds for rifled artillery in the years following World War II. Attempts to increase the specific load (that is, to lengthen their core) in sub-caliber projectiles ran into the phenomenon of loss of stabilization by rotation with an increase in the length of the projectile over 6-8 calibers. Strength modern materials did not allow more to increase the angular velocity of rotation of the shells.

In 1944, for a 210 mm caliber gun of an ultra-long-range railway installation K12(E) German designers created a caliber projectile with a drop-down plumage. The length of the projectile was 1500 mm, weight 140 kg. At initial speed 1850 m / s projectile was supposed to have a range of 250 km. For firing feathered projectiles, a smooth artillery barrel 31 m long was created. The projectile and gun did not leave the testing stage.

The most famous project that used an ultra-long-range finned sub-caliber projectile was the project of the chief engineer of the Rechling company Conders. The Conders gun had several names - V-3, "HDP-Pump high pressure”, “Centipede”, “Hardworking Lizhen”, “Friend”. A multi-chamber gun of 150 mm caliber used an arrow-shaped feathered sub-caliber projectile weighing in different versions from 80 kg to 127 kg, with an explosive charge from 5 kg to 25 kg. The caliber of the projectile body ranged from 90 mm to 110 mm. Different versions of the shells contained from 4 folding to 6 permanent stabilizer feathers. The elongation of some models of projectiles reached 36. A shortened modification of the LRK 15F58 gun fired a 15-cm-Sprgr swept projectile. 4481, designed at Peenemünde, and saw action firing at Luxembourg, Antwerp and the US 3rd Army. At the end of the war, one gun was captured by the Americans and taken to the United States.

Feathered shells of anti-tank guns

In 1944, the Rheinmetall company created a smooth-bore anti-tank artillery gun. 8Н63 caliber 80 mm, firing a feathered cumulative projectile weighing 3.75 kg with an explosive charge of 2.7 kg. The developed guns and shells were used in combat until the end of World War II.

In the same year, the Krupp company created a smoothbore anti-tank gun P.W.K. 10.H.64 caliber 105 mm. The gun fired a feathered cumulative projectile weighing 6.5 kg. The projectile and gun did not leave the testing stage.

Experiments were carried out on the use of high-speed arrow-shaped projectiles of the Tsp-Geschoss type (from German Treibspiegelgeschoss - a sub-caliber projectile with a pallet) for anti-tank combat (see below "arrow-shaped anti-aircraft guns"). According to unconfirmed reports, German developers at the end of the war experimented with the use of natural uranium in pierced feathered projectiles, which ended to no avail due to the insufficient strength of unalloyed uranium. However, even then the pyrophoric nature of uranium cores was noted.

Arrow-shaped shells of anti-aircraft guns

Experiments with arrow-shaped feathered sub-caliber projectiles for high-altitude anti-aircraft artillery were carried out at a training ground near the Polish city of Blizna under the guidance of designer R. Herman ( R. Hermann). have been tested anti-aircraft guns caliber 103 mm with a barrel length of up to 50 calibers. During the tests, it turned out that arrow-shaped feathered projectiles, which reached very high speeds due to their small mass, have insufficient fragmentation action due to the impossibility of placing a significant explosive charge in them. [ ] In addition, they demonstrated extremely low accuracy due to rarefied air at high altitudes and, as a result, insufficient aerodynamic stabilization. After it became clear that swept finned shells were not applicable for anti-aircraft fire, attempts were made to use high-velocity finned piercing shells to fight tanks. The work was stopped due to the fact that serial anti-tank and tank guns at that time had sufficient armor penetration, and the Third Reich was living out its last days.

Arrow-shaped bullets of handguns

Arrow-shaped bullets for handguns were first developed by AAI designer Irwin Bahr.

Firms "AAI", "Springfield", "Winchester" designed various arrow-shaped bullets, having an arrow mass of 0.68-0.77 grams, with an arrow body diameter of 1.8-2.5 mm with stamped plumage. The initial speed of arrow-shaped bullets varied depending on their type from 900 m/s to 1500 m/s.

The recoil momentum of the rifles when firing arrow-shaped ammunition was several times lower than that of the M16 rifle. During the period from 1989 to 1989, many modifications of arrow-shaped ammunition were tested in the United States and special weapons under it, but the expected advantages over conventional shell bullets (both medium and small caliber) were not achieved. Arrow-shaped bullets of small mass and caliber with a high flatness of the trajectory, had insufficient accuracy and insufficient lethal effect at medium and long distances.grain) (19.958 g) in a detachable pallet. With an initial speed of a swept bullet of 1450 m / s, the muzzle energy of a sniper rifle is 20,980 J. At a distance of 800 meters, a tungsten alloy sub-caliber feathered arrow pierces an armor plate 40 mm thick when it hits at an angle of 30 °, when firing at a distance of 1 km, the maximum excess of the trajectory over the aiming line is only 80 cm.

Hunting arrow-shaped bullets

Most types of elongated bullets for hunting smoothbore weapons have an aerodynamic principle of flight stabilization and are lancet (arrow-shaped) projectiles. Due to the slight elongation of conventional hunting bullets in most models (1.3-2.5 or even less (for example, the Mayer bullet, which is also stabilized not by the turbine, but by the lancet method)), the lancet (sweep) of hunting bullets is not visually obvious.

The most pronounced arrow-shaped form currently have Russian Zenit bullets (designed by D. I. Shiryaev) and foreign Sovestra bullets. For example, some types of Sauvestra bullets have an elongation of up to 4.6-5, and some types of Shiryaev bullets have an elongation of more than 10. Both arrow-shaped feathered bullets with a large elongation differ from other hunting lancet bullets in high rates of fire accuracy.

Arrow-shaped feathered bullets of underwater weapons

Russia is developing arrow-shaped (needle-shaped) underwater ammunition without plumage, which are part of the SPS cartridges of 4.5 mm caliber (for special underwater pistol SPP-1; SPP-1M) and MPS cartridges of 5.66 mm caliber (for a special APS submachine gun). Non-feathered arrow-shaped bullets for underwater weapons, stabilized in water by a cavitation cavity, practically do not stabilize in the air and require not regular, but special weapons for use under water.

Currently, the most promising underwater-air ammunition, which can be fired with equal efficiency both under water at a depth of up to 50 m, and in the air, are cartridges for regular (serial) machine guns and assault rifles, equipped with a Polotnev arrow-shaped feathered bullet developed by at the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "TsNIIKhM". Stabilization of Polotnev's bullets under water is carried out by the cavitation cavity, and in air - by the plumage of the bullet.

ISBN 978-5-9524-3370-0; BBK 63.3(0)62 K59.

Hogg I. Ammunition: cartridges, grenades, artillery shells, mortars. - M.: Eksmo-Press, 2001.
Irving D. Weapon of retribution. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2005.
Dornberger W. FAU-2. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2004.
Katorin Yu. F., Volkovsky N. L., Tarnavsky V. V. Unique and paradoxical military equipment. - St. Petersburg. : Polygon, 2003. - 686 p. - (Military History Library). - ISBN 5-59173-238-6, UDC 623.4, LBC 68.8 K 29.

MOSCOW, July 23 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. If a modern tank is fired upon with an armor-piercing "blank" from the Second World War, then, most likely, only a dent will remain at the site of the hit - penetrating through is practically impossible. The "puff" 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 feathered sub-caliber shells (BOPS). About how these munitions work - in the material of RIA Novosti.

Awl instead of a sledgehammer

From the name it is clear that the sub-caliber ammunition is a projectile with a caliber noticeably smaller than the caliber of the gun. Structurally, this is a "coil" with a diameter equal to the diameter of the barrel, in the center of which is the same tungsten or uranium "scrap" that hits the enemy's armor. When leaving the bore, the coil, which provided the core with sufficient kinetic energy and accelerated it to the desired speed, is divided into parts under the action of oncoming air flows, and a thin and strong feathered pin flies at the target. In a collision due to the smaller resistivity it penetrates armor much more effectively than a thick monolithic blank.

The armored impact of such a "scrap" is colossal. Due to the relatively small mass - 3.5-4 kilograms - the core of the sub-caliber projectile immediately after the shot accelerates to a significant speed - about 1500 meters per second. When hitting the armor plate, it punches a small hole. The kinetic energy of the projectile is partly used to destroy armor, and partly converted into heat. Red-hot fragments of the core and armor go into the armored space and spread like a fan, hitting the crew and internal mechanisms of the vehicle. This creates multiple fires.

An accurate hit of the BOPS can disable important components and assemblies, destroy or seriously injure crew members, jam the turret, break through fuel tanks, undermine the ammunition rack, destroy the undercarriage. Structurally, modern sabots are very different. Projectile bodies are both monolithic and composite - a core or several cores in a shell, as well as longitudinally and transversely multilayered, with various types of plumage.

Leading devices (those same "coils") have different aerodynamics, they are made of steel, light alloys, and composite materials - for example, carbon composites or aramid composites. Ballistic tips and dampers can be installed in the head parts of the BOPS. In a word, for every taste - for any gun, for certain conditions of tank combat and a specific target. The main advantages of such ammunition are high armor penetration, high flight speed, low sensitivity to dynamic protection, low vulnerability to active protection systems, which simply do not have time to react to a fast and inconspicuous "arrow".

"Mango" and "Lead"

Under the 125-mm smoothbore guns of domestic tanks in Soviet time developed a wide range of feathered "armor-piercing". They were engaged after the appearance of the potential enemy tanks M1 Abrams and Leopard-2. The army, like air, needed shells capable of hitting new types of reinforced armor and overcoming dynamic protection.

One of the most common BOPS in the arsenal of Russian T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks is the ZBM-44 "Mango" high-power projectile, which was put into service in 1986. Ammunition has a rather complicated design. A ballistic tip is installed in the head part of the swept body, under which there is an armor-piercing cap. Behind him is an armor-piercing damper, which also plays an important role in breaking through. 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 shirt melts and releases cores that "bite" into the armor. In the tail of the projectile there is a stabilizer in the form of a plumage with five blades, at the base of the stabilizer there is a tracer. This "scrap" 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 autoloaders are limited by the length of the projectiles, so Lead 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 a uranium alloy, it has a high elongation, which increases penetration, and also reduces the impact of dynamic protection. After all, the longer the projectile, the smaller part of it interacts with passive and active obstacles at a certain point in time. Sub-caliber stabilizers improve the accuracy of the projectile, and a new composite "coil" drive device is also used. BOPS "Lead" is the most powerful serial projectile for 125-mm tank guns, capable of competing with leading Western models. The average armor penetration on a homogeneous steel plate from two kilometers is 650 millimeters.

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

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

Many types of shells are implemented in War Thunder, each of which has its own characteristics. In order to competently compare different shells, choose the main type of ammunition before the battle, and in battle for different purposes in different situations to use suitable projectiles, you need to know the basics of their device and principle of operation. This article talks about the types of projectiles and their design, as well as gives advice on their use in combat. Do not neglect this knowledge, because the effectiveness of the weapon largely depends on the shells for it.

Types of tank ammunition

Armor-piercing caliber shells

Chamber and solid armor-piercing shells

As the name suggests, the purpose armor-piercing shells- to break through the armor and thereby hit the tank. Armor-piercing shells are of two types: chamber and solid. Chamber shells have a special cavity inside - a chamber, in which an 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 armor fragments, but also by explosions and fragments of a chamber shell. The explosion does not occur immediately, but with a delay, thanks to which the projectile has time to fly into the tank and explode there, causing the most 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 projectile explodes in the fighting compartment when it breaks through the main armor, and does not cock against the screens.

A solid projectile does not have a chamber with an explosive, it is just a metal blank. Of course, solid shells deal 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 armor-piercing chamber projectile BR-350A from the F-34 cannon pierces 80 mm at a right angle at close range, and the solid BR-350SP projectile as much as 105 mm. The use of solid shells is very characteristic of the British school of tank building. Things got to the point that the British removed explosives from American 75-mm chamber shells, turning them into solid ones.

The lethal force of solid shells depends on the ratio of the thickness of the armor and the armor penetration of the shell:

If the armor is too thin, then the projectile will pierce through it and damage only those elements that it hits along the way.
If the armor is too thick (on the border of penetration), then small non-lethal fragments are formed that will not cause much harm.
Maximum armor action - 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 action will be with the one with greater armor penetration. As for chamber shells, the damage also depends on the amount of explosive in TNT equivalent, as well as on 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 projectile; c - arrow-shaped sub-caliber projectile

Armor-piercing shells are divided not only into chamber and solid shells, but also into sharp-headed and dumb-headed ones. Pointed shells pierce thicker armor at a right angle, since at the moment of impact with the armor, all the impact force falls on a small area of the armor plate. However, the effectiveness of work on sloping armor in sharp-headed projectiles is lower due to a greater tendency to ricochet at large angles of impact with the armor. Vice versa, blunt projectiles they penetrate thicker armor at an angle than sharp-headed ones, 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 BR-365K sharp-headed projectile penetrates 145 mm at a right angle and 52 mm at an angle of 30 °, and the BR-365A blunt-headed projectile penetrates 142 mm at a right angle, but 58 mm at an angle of 30 °.

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

However, sharp-headed shells with an armor-piercing tip, like blunt-headed shells, have a significant drawback - greater aerodynamic resistance, due to which armor penetration drops more at a distance than sharp-headed shells. To improve aerodynamics, ballistic caps are used, due to which armor penetration is increased 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. Armor-piercing sharp-headed projectile with an armor-piercing tip PzGr at a right angle pierces 266 mm at 10 meters and 157 mm at 2000 meters. But an armor-piercing projectile with an armor-piercing tip and a ballistic cap PzGr 43 at a right angle pierces 269 mm at 10 meters and 208 mm at 2000 meters. In close combat, there are no special 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 of armor-piercing ammunition that combines the advantages of sharp-headed and blunt-headed projectiles.

Table of armor-piercing shells

Sharp-headed armor-piercing shells can be chamber 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 put it all together possible options to the table. Under the icon of each projectile, the abbreviated names of the projectile type are written in English terminology, these are the terms used in the book "WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery", according to which many shells in the game are configured. If you hover over the abbreviated name with the mouse cursor, a hint with decoding and translation will appear.

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

Sub-caliber shells

Coil sub-caliber projectiles

The action of the sub-caliber projectile:
1 - ballistic cap
2 - body
3 - core

Armor-piercing caliber shells have been 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 sub-caliber shells, the warhead diameter of which is smaller than the caliber of the gun. The simplest type of sub-caliber projectiles is coil (APCR - Armor-Piercing Composite Rigid). The coil sub-caliber projectile consists of three parts: a body, a ballistic cap and a core. The body serves to disperse the projectile in the barrel. At the moment of meeting with the armor, the ballistic cap and the body are crushed, and the core pierces the armor, hitting the tank with shrapnel.

At close range, sub-caliber shells penetrate thicker armor than caliber shells. Firstly, the sabot projectile is smaller and lighter than a conventional armor-piercing projectile, thanks to which it accelerates to higher speeds. Secondly, the core of the projectile 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 coil sub-caliber shells also have significant drawbacks. Due to their relatively low 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 action, sub-caliber shells are much weaker than chamber shells. Finally, sub-caliber shells do not work well against sloped armor.

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

Sub-caliber projectiles with a detachable pallet

APDS projectile and its core

Sectional view of an APDS projectile, showing the ballistic-tipped core

Sub-caliber projectile with a detachable pallet (APDS - Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot) - further development sub-caliber projectile designs.

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

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

Sub-caliber feathered shells

Separation of the pallet from BOPS

BOPS projectile

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

These shells are a further development of sub-caliber shells with a detachable pallet, they also have great length and smaller cross section. Spin stabilization is not very effective for high aspect ratio projectiles, so armor piercing finned sabots (BOPS for short) are stabilized by the fins and are generally used to fire smoothbore guns (however, early BOPS and some modern ones are designed to fire rifled 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 projectiles

A concrete-piercing projectile is an artillery projectile designed to destroy long-term fortifications and solid buildings of capital construction, as well as to destroy manpower sheltered in them and military equipment enemy. Often, concrete-piercing shells were used to destroy concrete pillboxes.

In terms of design, 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 close destructive potential of the explosive charge, concrete-piercing ammunition has a more massive and durable body, which allows them to penetrate deep into reinforced concrete, stone and brick barriers. Compared to armor-piercing chamber shells, concrete-piercing shells have more explosives, but a less durable body, so concrete-piercing shells are inferior to them in armor penetration.

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

HEAT rounds

Rotating HEAT projectiles

The device of the 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) differs significantly from kinetic ammunition, which include conventional armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells. It is a thin-walled steel projectile filled with a powerful explosive - RDX, or a mixture of TNT and RDX. In front of the projectile in explosives there is a goblet-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 of the lining of the same funnel and explosion products. The cumulative jet flies forward at great speed (approximately 5,000 - 10,000 m / s) and passes through the armor due to the enormous 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 as a liquid. The armored damaging effect is provided both by the cumulative jet itself and by hot drops of pierced armor squeezed inward.

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

Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectiles

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

Fragmentation and high-explosive shells

High-explosive 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. Upon hitting the target, the projectile immediately explodes, hitting the target with fragments and an explosive wave. Compared with concrete-piercing and armor-piercing chamber shells, high-explosive fragmentation projectiles very thin walls, but more explosive.

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

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 in the other compartment. A tube filled with a slowly burning pyrotechnic composition passes along the axis of the projectile.

The main purpose of the shrapnel projectile is to defeat the enemy's manpower. It happens in the following way. At the moment of the shot, the composition in the tube ignites. Gradually, it burns out and transfers the fire to the explosive charge. The charge ignites and explodes, squeezing out a partition with bullets. The head of the projectile comes off and the bullets fly out along the axis of the projectile, deviating slightly to the sides and hitting the enemy infantry.

In the absence of armor-piercing shells in the early stages of the war, gunners often used shrapnel shells with a tube set "on impact". 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 shells

Armor-piercing high-explosive projectile (HESH - High Explosive Squash Head) - a post-war type of anti-tank projectile, the principle of operation of which is based on the detonation of a plastic explosive on the surface of the armor, which causes armor fragments on the back to break off 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 it encounters 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 slow-acting bottom fuse, which causes the destruction of the rear surface of the armor and the formation of spalls that can hit the internal equipment of the vehicle or crew members. In some cases, penetrating armor can also occur in the form of a puncture, a breach, or a broken plug. The penetrating ability of an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile depends less on the angle of the armor in comparison with conventional armor-piercing projectiles.

ATGM Malyutka (1 generation)

Shillelagh ATGM (2 generations)

Anti-tank guided missiles

An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a guided missile designed to destroy tanks and other armored targets. The former name of the ATGM is "anti-tank guided missile". ATGMs in the game are solid-propellant missiles equipped with on-board control systems (operating on the operator's commands) and flight stabilization, devices for receiving and decrypting control signals received via wires (or via infrared or radio command control channels). Warhead cumulative, with armor penetration of 400-600 mm. The flight speed of missiles 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 guidance system)- in reality, they are manually controlled by the operator using a joystick, eng. MCLOS. In realistic and simulation 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, eng. SACLOS. The reticle in the game is either the center of the crosshair of the optical sight, or a large white round marker (reload indicator) in the third person view.

In arcade mode, there is no difference between the generations of rockets, they are all controlled with the help of a sight, like second-generation rockets.

ATGMs are also distinguished by the launch method.

1) Launched from the channel of the tank barrel. To do this, you need either a smooth barrel: an example is the smooth barrel of a 125-mm gun of the T-64 tank. Or a keyway is made in a rifled barrel, where a rocket 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 (for example, like the IT-1 tank destroyer with the 2K4 Dragon ATGM).

As a rule, the more modern and the more caliber ATGM - the more it penetrates. ATGMs were constantly improved - manufacturing technology, materials science, and explosives improved. The penetrating effect of ATGMs (as well as HEAT rounds) can be completely or partially neutralized by combined armor and dynamic protection. As well as special anti-cumulative armor screens located at some distance from the main armor.

Appearance and device of shells

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 projectile with ballistic cap

Sub-caliber projectile

Sub-caliber projectile with detachable pallet

HEAT projectile

Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectile

A denormalization phenomenon that increases the path of a projectile through armor

Starting with game version 1.49, the effect of shells on sloped 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 HEAT projectiles. For armor-piercing and especially sub-caliber shells, the penetration of sloping armor was significantly reduced due to the denormalization effect, when a short shell turns around during penetration, and its path in the armor increases.
So, at an angle of inclination of the armor of 60 °, penetration for all shells fell by about 2 times. Now this is true only for cumulative and armor-piercing high-explosive shells. For armor-piercing shells, penetration in this case drops by 2.3-2.9 times, for conventional sub-caliber shells - by 3-4 times, and for sub-caliber shells with a detachable pallet (including BOPS) - by 2.5 times.
List of shells in order of deterioration of their work on sloped armor:
1. Cumulative And armor-piercing high-explosive- the most efficient.
2. Armor-piercing blunt And armor-piercing sharp-headed with an armor-piercing tip.
3. Armor-piercing sub-caliber with detachable pallet And BOPS.
4. Armor-piercing sharp-headed And shrapnel.
5. Armor-piercing sub-caliber- the most inefficient.
Here, a high-explosive fragmentation projectile stands apart, in which the probability of penetrating the armor does not depend on its angle of inclination at all (provided that no ricochet has occurred).

Armor-piercing shells

For such projectiles, the fuse is cocked at the moment of penetration of the armor and undermines the projectile after a certain time, which ensures a very high armor effect. The parameters of the projectile indicate two important: fuse sensitivity and fuse 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 like a regular solid one, damaging only those modules that are in its path, or simply fly through the target without causing damage. Therefore, when firing at unarmored targets, chamber shells are not very effective (as well as all others, except for high-explosive and shrapnel).
The fuse delay determines the time after which the projectile will explode after breaking through the armor. Too little delay (in particular, for the Soviet MD-5 fuse) leads to the fact that when it hits a tank attachment (screen, track, undercarriage, caterpillar), the projectile explodes almost immediately and does not have time to penetrate the armor. Therefore, when firing at shielded tanks, it is better not to use such shells. Too much delay of the fuse can cause the projectile to go right through and explode outside the tank (although such cases are very rare).
If a chamber projectile is detonated in a fuel tank or in an ammunition rack, then with a high probability 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 on opponents with sloped armor, and sharp-headed ones - if the armor is not sloped. However, the difference in armor penetration in 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 distinguished by high armor penetration at short distances and a very high flight speed, which makes it easier to shoot at moving targets.
However, when armor is penetrated, only a thin hard-alloy rod appears in the armored space, which causes damage only to those modules and crew members in which it hits (unlike an armor-piercing chamber projectile, which fills the entire fighting compartment with fragments). Therefore, in order to effectively destroy a tank with a sub-caliber projectile, it is necessary to shoot at its weak spots: 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), it may take a lot of shots to disable the tank, and the enemy may get ahead of you.
Another problem with sub-caliber projectiles is a strong loss of armor penetration with distance due to their low mass. Studying the 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 rounds

The armor penetration of these shells does not depend on the distance, which allows them to be used with equal efficiency for both close and long-range combat. However, due to design features, HEAT rounds 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) becomes very difficult.
The principle of operation of the cumulative projectile also determines its not very high damaging ability compared to the armor-piercing chamber projectile: the cumulative jet flies for a limited distance inside the tank and inflicts damage only to those components and crew members in which it directly hit. Therefore, when using a cumulative projectile, one should aim just as carefully as in the case of a sub-caliber one.
If the cumulative projectile hit not the armor, but the hinged element of the tank (screen, track, caterpillar, undercarriage), then it will explode on this element, and the armor penetration of the cumulative jet will significantly decrease (each centimeter of the jet flight in the air reduces 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 HEAT shells by shooting at the tracks, undercarriage and gun mantlet. Remember that a premature detonation of a projectile can cause any obstacle - a fence, a tree, any building.
HEAT shells in life and in the game have a high-explosive action, that is, they also work as high-explosive fragmentation shells of reduced power (a light body gives fewer fragments). Thus, large-caliber cumulative projectiles can be quite successfully used instead of high-explosive fragmentation when firing at lightly armored vehicles.

High-explosive shells

The striking ability of these shells depends on the ratio of the caliber of your gun and the armor of your target. Thus, shells with a caliber of 50 mm or less are only effective against aircraft and trucks, 75-85 mm - against light tanks with bulletproof armor, 122 mm - against medium tanks such as T-34, 152 mm - against all tanks, with the exception of head-on shooting at the most armored vehicles.
However, it must be remembered that the damage inflicted significantly depends on the specific point of impact, so there are 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 is the best way to shoot? Overview tank shells by _Omero_

This article will look at the various types of ammunition and their armor penetration. Photographs and illustrations of traces of armor remaining after a projectile hit are given, as well as an analysis of the overall effectiveness of various types of ammunition used to destroy tanks and other armored vehicles.
When studying this issue, it should be noted that armor penetration depends not only on the type of projectile, but also on the combination of many other factors: firing range, muzzle velocity, type of armor, armor slope angle, etc. mm armor plates various types. The shelling was carried out with 75-mm armor-piercing shells in order to show the difference in the resistance of armor of the same thickness, but of different types.

The iron armor plate had a brittle fracture of the rear surface, with numerous spalls in the area of the hole. The impact speed is chosen in such a way that the projectile is stuck in the plate. Penetration is nearly achieved with a projectile speed of just 390.3 m/s. The projectile itself was not damaged at all, and will certainly work properly, breaking through such armor.

Iron-nickel armor, without hardening according to the Krupp method (that is, in fact - structural steel) - demonstrated plastic failure with a classic "envelope" (cross-shaped tear on the rear surface), without any traces of fragmentation. As you can see, close to the previous test, the projectile impact speed no longer even leads to through penetration (hit No. I). And only an increase in speed to 437 m / s leads to a violation of the integrity of the rear surface of the armor (the projectile did not penetrate the armor, but a through hole was formed). To achieve a result similar to the first test, it is necessary to bring the speed of the projectile to the armor up to 469.2 m/s (it would not be superfluous to recall that the kinetic energy of the projectile grows in proportion to the square of the speed, i.e. almost one and a half times!). At the same time, the projectile was destroyed, its charging chamber was opened - it will no longer be able to work properly.

Krupp armor - the high hardness front layer contributed to the splitting of shells, while the softer base of the armor deformed, absorbing the energy of the projectile. The first three shells collapsed almost without even leaving marks on the armor plate. Projectile No. IV, which hit the armor at a speed of 624 m / s, also completely collapsed, but this time almost squeezing out the “cork” in its caliber. We can assume that with a further, even a slight increase in the speed of the meeting, a through penetration will occur. But to overcome the Krupp armor, the projectile had to be given more than 2.5 times more kinetic energy!

Armor-piercing projectile

The most massive type of ammunition used against tanks. And as the name implies, it was created specifically for breaking through armor. According to their design, armor-piercing shells were solid blanks (without an explosive charge in the body) or shells with a chamber (inside which an explosive charge was placed). Blanks were easier to manufacture and hit the crew and mechanisms of an enemy tank only at the point of penetration of the armor. Chamber shells were more difficult to manufacture, but when armor was pierced, explosives exploded in the chamber, causing more damage to the crew and mechanisms of an enemy tank, increasing the likelihood of detonation of ammunition or arson of fuel and lubricants.

Also, the shells were sharp-headed and blunt-headed. Equipped with ballistic tips to give the correct angle when meeting with sloped armor and reduce ricochet.

HEAT projectile

Cumulative projectile. The operating principle of this armor-piercing ammunition differs significantly from the principle of operation of kinetic ammunition, which includes conventional armor-piercing and sub-caliber projectiles. A cumulative projectile is a thin-walled steel projectile filled with a powerful explosive - RDX, or a mixture of TNT and RDX. At the front of the projectile, explosives have a goblet-shaped recess lined with metal (usually copper). The projectile has a sensitive head fuse. When a projectile collides with armor, an explosive is detonated. At the same time, the lining metal is melted and compressed by an explosion into a thin jet (pestle), flying forward at an extremely high speed and penetrating armor. Armored action is provided by a cumulative jet and splashes of armor metal. The HEAT shell hole is small and has melted edges, which has led to a common misconception that HEAT shells “burn through” armor. The penetration of a HEAT projectile does not depend on the velocity of the projectile and is the same at all distances. Its manufacture is quite simple, the production of the projectile does not require the use of a large amount of scarce metals. The cumulative projectile can be used against infantry and artillery as a high-explosive fragmentation projectile. At the same time, cumulative shells during the war years were characterized by numerous shortcomings. The manufacturing technology of these projectiles was not sufficiently developed, as a result, their penetration was relatively low (approximately corresponded to the caliber of the projectile or slightly higher) and was characterized by instability. The rotation of the projectile at high initial speeds made it difficult to form a cumulative jet, as a result, the cumulative projectiles had a low initial velocity, a small effective range and high dispersion, which was also facilitated by the non-optimal shape of the projectile head from the point of view of aerodynamics (its configuration was determined by the presence of a notch). The big problem was the creation of a complex fuse, which should be sensitive enough to quickly undermine the projectile, but stable enough not to explode in the barrel (the USSR was able to work out such a fuse suitable for use in powerful tank and anti-tank guns, only at the end of 1944). The minimum caliber of a cumulative projectile was 75 mm, and the effectiveness of cumulative projectiles of this caliber was greatly reduced. Mass production of HEAT shells required the deployment of large-scale production of hexogen. The most massive HEAT shells were used by the German army (for the first time in the summer-autumn of 1941), mainly from 75 mm caliber guns and howitzers. The Soviet army used cumulative shells, created on the basis of captured German ones, from 1942-43, including them in the ammunition of regimental guns and howitzers that had a low muzzle velocity. The British and American armies used shells of this type, mainly in heavy howitzer ammunition. Thus, in the Second World War (in contrast to the present time, when improved projectiles of this type form the basis of the ammunition load of tank guns), the use of cumulative projectiles was quite limited, mainly they were considered as a means of anti-tank self-defense of guns that had low initial speeds and low armor penetration by traditional projectiles (regimental guns, howitzers). At the same time, all participants in the war actively used other anti-tank weapons with cumulative ammunition - grenade launchers (illustration No. 8), aerial bombs, hand grenades.

Sub-caliber projectile

Sub-caliber projectile. This projectile had a rather complex design, consisting of two main parts - an armor-piercing core and a pallet. The task of the pallet, made of mild steel, was to disperse the projectile in the bore. When the projectile hit the target, the pallet was crushed, and the heavy and hard sharp-headed core made of tungsten carbide pierced the armor. The projectile did not have a bursting charge, ensuring that the target was hit by fragments of the core and fragments of armor heated to high temperatures. Sub-caliber projectiles had significantly less weight than conventional armor-piercing projectiles, which allowed them to accelerate in the gun barrel to significantly higher speeds. As a result, the penetration of sub-caliber shells turned out to be significantly higher. The use of sub-caliber shells made it possible to significantly increase the armor penetration of the existing guns, which made it possible to hit more modern, well-armored armored vehicles even with outdated guns. At the same time, sub-caliber shells had a number of disadvantages. Their shape resembled a coil (there were shells of this type and streamlined shape, but they were much less common), which greatly worsened the ballistics of the projectile, in addition, the light projectile quickly lost speed; as a result, at long distances, the armor penetration of sub-caliber shells dropped dramatically, turning out to be even lower than that of classic armor-piercing shells. Sub-caliber shells did not work well on sloped armor, because under the action of bending loads the hard but brittle core easily broke. The armor-piercing effect of such shells was inferior to armor-piercing caliber shells. Sub-caliber projectiles of small caliber were ineffective against armored vehicles that had protective shields made of thin steel. These shells were expensive and difficult to manufacture, and most importantly, scarce tungsten was used in their manufacture. As a result, the number of sub-caliber shells in the ammunition load of guns during the war years was small, they were allowed to be used only to destroy heavily armored targets at short distances. The German army was the first to use sub-caliber shells in small quantities in 1940 during the fighting in France. In 1941, faced with heavily armored Soviet tanks, the Germans switched to the widespread use of sub-caliber shells, which significantly increased the anti-tank capabilities of their artillery and tanks. However, the shortage of tungsten limited the release of shells of this type; as a result, in 1944, the production of German sub-caliber shells was discontinued, while most of the shells fired during the war years had a small caliber (37-50 mm). Trying to get around the problem of tungsten, the Germans produced Pzgr.40(C) sub-caliber projectiles with a steel core and Pzgr.40(W) surrogate projectiles, which were a sub-caliber projectile without a core. In the USSR, a fairly mass production of sub-caliber shells, created on the basis of captured German ones, began at the beginning of 1943, and most of the shells produced were of 45 mm caliber. The production of these shells of larger calibers was limited by the shortage of tungsten, and they were issued to the troops only when there was a threat of an enemy tank attack, and a report was required for each spent shell. Also, sub-caliber shells were used to a limited extent by the British and American armies in the second half of the war.

high-explosive projectile

High-explosive fragmentation projectile. It is a thin-walled steel or steel-cast iron projectile filled with an explosive (usually TNT or ammonite), with a head fuse. Unlike armor-piercing shells, high-explosive shells did not have a tracer. Upon hitting the target, the projectile explodes, hitting the target with fragments and a blast wave, either immediately - a fragmentation action, or with some delay (which allows the projectile to go deeper into the ground) - a high-explosive action. The projectile is intended mainly to destroy openly located and covered infantry, artillery, field shelters (trenches, wood-and-earth firing points), unarmored and lightly armored vehicles. Well-armored tanks and self-propelled guns are resistant to high-explosive fragmentation shells. However, the impact of large-caliber shells can cause the destruction of lightly armored vehicles, and damage to heavily armored tanks, consisting in cracking of armor plates (illustration No. 19), jamming of the turret, failure of instruments and mechanisms, injuries and shell shock to the crew.

Literature / useful materials and links:

Artillery (State Military Publishing House of the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR. Moscow, 1938)
Artillery Sergeant's Manual ()
Artillery book. Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR. Moscow - 1953 ()
Internet materials

BOPS (Armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles)

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

Armor-piercing shells for the 115-mm gun U-5TS (2A20) were superior in armor penetration at an angle of 60 degrees. from the normal, the best sub-caliber shells for rifled guns by 30% and had a direct shot range 1.6 times greater than regular ones. However, unitary rounds for the GSP U-5TS did not allow to fully realize the potential in terms of rate of fire and reduction of 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 speed. Thus, the problem of automating the process of loading a tank gun became urgent, which, along with an increase in the rate of fire, significantly reduced 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) gun.

Completion of work on the creation of separate loading shots for the D-68 gun, 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 gun and new shots 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 overestimated assessment of the armor resistance of the new, most powerful English tank of that period, 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, which received the designation T-64A and was put into service. Soviet army in May 1968. The tank was armed with a 125 mm D-81T (2A26) gun developed in 1962 at the plant number 172 (Perm) in OKB-9 under the leadership of F.F. Petrov.

Subsequently, this gun, which deserved a lot positive feedback for its high technical and operational characteristics, it underwent numerous upgrades aimed at further growth of its characteristics.

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

BPS burning cylinder with tubular powder (SC) - Right

Burning Sleeve (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 completely burns out during the shot and there is nothing left of it. The burning sleeve (SG) is made using a similar technology; after a shot, a metal pallet remains from it. The means of ignition is the galvano-impact sleeve GUV-7, which differs from the usual one in that it has an incandescent bridge that ignites the gunpowder when the striker is touched, but it can also work like a normal one from impact.

Domestic BPS consists of a leading ring, consisting of three sectors with a 120-degree split plane, fastened with a copper or plastic obturator band. 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 tank firing the BPS. The sector can damage lightly armored vehicles and injure infantry.Separating sectors of the BPS have significant kinetic energy within 2 ° from 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 completely burns out during the shot and nothing remains of it. The burning sleeve (SG) is made using a similar technology; after a shot, a metal pallet remains from it. The means of ignition is galvano-impact sleeve 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 by the evolutionary development of foreign tanks, the best of which had a homogeneous armor shield within 200 (Leopard-1A1), 250 (M60) and 300 (Chieftain) millimeters of armor.

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

At the same time, 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 guns T-12, entered service in the USSR.

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

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

Projectile 3VBM-7 (projectile index 3BM-15; projectile index from throwing charge3BM-18 ) (p/w ca. 1972)

The active part of this projectile is slightly lengthened 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, until the collapse of the USSR it remained the most modern OBPS available to recipients of Soviet export T-72 tanks. BM-15 and its local counterparts were produced under license in many countries.

Shot 3VBM-8 (projectile index 3BM-17; projectile index from throwing charge3BM-18) (p/w ca. 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 only for export and training purposes.

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

Research theme "Hairpin". A.h. length almost identical to 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 some decrease in the initial speed. 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 allowed for use..

Appearance core of one projectile option.

Second generation (late 70s and 80s)

In 1977, work began to improve the combat effectiveness of tank artillery rounds. The staging of these works was associated with the need to defeat new types of reinforced armor protection developed abroad for a new generation of M1 Abrams and Leopard-2 tanks.
The development of new design schemes for OBPS has begun, ensuring the destruction of monolithic combined armor in a wide range of angles of impact with the armor, as well as overcoming remote sensing.

Other tasks included improving the aerodynamic qualities of the projectile in flight in order to reduce drag, as well as increasing its muzzle velocity.

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 master device, which ended with the adoption of the Nadezhda, Vant and Mango OBPS 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 master device with sectors of the "clamp" type using aluminum alloy and polymer materials.

In OBPS, leading devices with steel sectors of the "expanding" type were previously used.

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

OBPS "Mango" was developed 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 able to overcome dynamic protection and reliably hit 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 from throwing charge3BM-27) (p / in 1983)

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

This ammunition was also the first to be developed and tested specifically for the purpose of fending off advanced multilayer barriers used on promising NATO tanks.

It is 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 from throwing charge3BM-38 ) (p/in 1985)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shot withheightened power

Projectile with increased power tungsten core high elongation and sub-caliber stabilizers, using a four-section composite VU with two contact zones. In the literature of Rosoboronexport, this projectile is simply referred to as a "high-powered projectile."

The developers of this munition for the first time created a high elongation projectile with a new guidance scheme.

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 BOPS 3BM42, a 20% increase in armor penetration is provided due to the elongated body made of tungsten alloy and a charge of higher-energy gunpowder.

Summary table TTX
Shot Index	3VBM-7	3 V BM-8	3VBM-9	3VBM-11	3VBM-10	3VBM-13	3VBM-17	3VBM-20	3VBM-17M
Projectile index	3BM-16	3BM-1 7		3BM-2 6	3BM-29			3BM-46
Projectile index with additional charge	3BM-18	3VBM- 1 8	3BM-3	3BM-27	3BM-30	3BM-38	3BM-44	3BM-48	3BM-44M
Cipher			Barrette	Hope-R	File-2	Vant	Mango	Lead	Mango-M
Initial speed, m/s	1780	1780	1760	1720	1692...1700	1692...1700	1692...1700	1650	1692...1700
Core length, mm
Weight (without VU), g	3900	3900	3900	4800	4800	4850	4850	5200	5000
Core (base alloy)	Steel	Tungsten			depleted uranium	depleted Uranus	Tungsten	depleted Uranus	Tungsten
Scheme of reference	Ring VU made of steel, expanding type and plumage			WU clamping type aluminum alloy and plumage				Two-bearing WU
Normative penetration at 2000 m, 60°	110…150

In terms of the development of BOPS, since the late nineties, big job, the backlog of which was BOPS "Anker" and 3BM48 "Lead". These shells were significantly superior to such BOPS as Mango and Vant, the main difference was the new principles of the reference system in the bore and the core with a significantly increased elongation. New system conducting projectiles in the bore not only allowed the use of longer cores, but also made it possible to improve their aerodynamic properties.

After the collapse of the USSR, the backlog of the industry for the production of new types of ammunition began and continues. The question arose about the modernization of ammunition, both domestic tanks and those exported. The development, as well as small-scale production of domestic BPS, continued, however, the 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 gun have made their own attempts to develop BPS.

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

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

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