What speed do sub-caliber ammunition fly. There is no reception against "scrap". What are the terrible armor-piercing sub-caliber shells. Video about sub-caliber ammunition

Armor-piercing piercing sub-caliber projectile (arrow-shaped feathered projectile) - a type of projectile for barreled weapons, stabilized in flight due to aerodynamic forces (similar to stabilization in flight of an arrow). This circumstance distinguishes this type of ammunition from projectiles stabilized in flight by rotation due to gyroscopic forces. Arrow-shaped feathered projectiles can be used both in hunting and military firearms, and in cannon artillery. The main area of application of such projectiles is the destruction of heavily armored vehicles (in particular, tanks). Arrow-shaped feathered projectiles are, as a rule, kinetic-action ammunition, but may also contain an explosive charge.

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 shells(arrow type) 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 of the armor-piercing feathered arrow-shaped ammunition applicable to rifled and smoothbore artillery systems.

Device

Ammunition of this type They consist 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 feathers are made of traditional structural alloys. The materials most used for the body include heavy alloys (of the VNZh type, etc.) and compounds (tungsten carbide), uranium alloys (for example, the American Stabilloy alloy or the domestic analogue of the UNC 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 belts made of metals or plastics 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. Master devices (VU) may have a different principle of distribution of the gas pressure action vector into sectors (VU of the “expanding” or “clamping” type), different amount sectors, made of steel, light alloys, as well as composite materials - for example, 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.

In the USSR and Russia, several types of BOPS are widely known, created in different times and having proper names, which originated from the name / cipher 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" 3BM-23 - a small core of tungsten carbide in the head of the steel body (1976);
"Nadfil-2" 3BM30 - uranium alloy (1982);
"Hope" 3BM-27 - a small tungsten alloy core in the tail section of a steel body (1983);
"Vant" 3BM-33 - a monolithic body made of a uranium alloy (1985);
"Mango" 3BM-44 - two elongated tungsten alloy cores in a steel body jacket (1986);
"Lead" 3BM-48 - 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

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This mark is set July 13, 2012.

Comparative evaluation of armor penetration indicators is associated with significant difficulties. Enough influence on the assessment of armor penetration indicators different techniques BOPS tests 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 material for testing in Russia and NATO countries, homogeneous rolled armor is adopted, to obtain more accurate results, composite targets are used. For example, for testing Russian projectiles, the P11 multilayer barrier, developed at the Research Institute of Steel, is used, imitating the frontal armor of the M1 Abrams tank. However, the real indicators of the armor resistance of composite armor and its equivalent homogeneous armor nevertheless, sometimes they differ, which makes it difficult to accurately assess the armor penetration of a particular projectile. In addition, the characteristics of armor penetration, as well as the protection parameters of armored vehicles, are traditionally classified.

As an example, we can take the Spanish BOPS guns of the 105 mm caliber of the company "Empersa Nacional Santa Barbara", which at a speed of 1500 m / s from a distance of 5000 m pierces a NATO standard target at an angle of 60 ° from the line of fire and consisting of an armor plate 120 mm thick and ten additional armor plates of 10 mm, located at a distance of 10 mm from each other.

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 RHA-standard rolled homogeneous armor (the ratio of armor thickness to gun caliber) to 5.0 in caliber 105 mm, and 6.8 in caliber 120 mm.

History

The emergence of BOPS was associated with insufficient armor penetration of conventional armor-piercing and sub-caliber shells for rifled artillery pieces in the years after 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.

Arrow-shaped and feathered projectiles for ultra-long-range guns

In the rocket and artillery design bureau of the Peenemünde training ground Peenemünde-Heeresversuchsanstalt by the end of World War II, the German designer Hanns Gessner designed a series of arrow-shaped feathered projectiles of the PPG index (Peenemünder Pfeilgeschosse) for smooth-bore 310 mm caliber barrels from Krupp and Hanomag, mounted on a carriage of a 28-cm ultra-long-range railway installation K5 (E). The 310-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile index Sprenge-Granate 4861 had a length of 2012 mm and a mass of 136 kg. The arrow body diameter was 120 mm, the number of stabilizer feathers was 4 pcs. The initial speed of the projectile is 1420 m / s, the mass of the explosive charge is 25 kg, the firing range is 160 km. The shells were used against the Anglo-American troops in the battles near Bonn.

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

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

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 air, are cartridges for regular (serial) machine guns and assault rifles, equipped with Polotnev's arrow-shaped feathered bullet, developed 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.

Immediately after the appearance of armor protection for military equipment, the designers of artillery weapons began work on creating means capable of effectively destroying it.

An ordinary projectile was not quite suitable for this purpose, its kinetic energy was not always enough to overcome a thick barrier made of heavy-duty steel with manganese additives. The sharp tip was crushed, the body was destroyed, and the effect turned out to be minimal, in best case- deep dent.

The Russian engineer-inventor S. O. Makarov developed the design of an armor-piercing projectile with a blunt front. This technical solution provided high level pressure on the metal surface at the initial moment of contact, while the place of impact was subjected to strong heating. Both the tip itself and the area of the armor that had been hit melted. The remaining part of the projectile penetrated the resulting fistula, causing destruction.

Sergeant major Nazarov did not have theoretical knowledge of metallurgy and physics, but intuitively came to a very interesting design, which became the prototype of an effective class of artillery weapons. His sub-caliber projectile differed from the usual armor-piercing one in its internal structure.

In 1912, Nazarov proposed to introduce a strong rod into ordinary ammunition, which is not inferior to armor in its hardness. The officials of the War Ministry brushed aside the annoying non-commissioned officer, considering, obviously, that an illiterate retiree could not invent anything sensible. Subsequent events clearly demonstrated the harmfulness of such arrogance.

The Krupa firm received a patent for a sub-caliber projectile already in 1913, on the eve of the war. However, the level of development of armored vehicles at the beginning of the 20th century made it possible to do without special armor-piercing means. They were needed later, during the Second World War.

The principle of operation of a sub-caliber projectile is based on a simple formula known from the school physics course: a moving body is directly proportional to its mass and the square of its speed. Therefore, to ensure the greatest destructive ability, it is more important to disperse the striking object than to make it heavier.

This simple theoretical position finds its practical confirmation. A 76mm sub-caliber projectile is twice as light as a conventional armor-piercing projectile (3.02 and 6.5 kg, respectively). But to provide striking power, it is not enough just to reduce the mass. Armor, as the song says, is strong, and additional tricks are needed to break through it.

If a steel bar with a uniform internal structure hits a solid barrier, it will collapse. This process, in slow motion, looks like the initial crushing of the tip, an increase in the contact area, strong heating and spreading of molten metal around the impact site.

Armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile works differently. Its steel body shatters upon impact, absorbing some of the thermal energy and protecting the heavy-duty interior from thermal destruction. The ceramic-metal core, having the shape of a somewhat elongated thread spool and a diameter three times smaller than the caliber, continues to move, punching a small-diameter hole in the armor. At the same time, it highlights a large number of heat, which creates a thermal distortion, which, in combination with mechanical pressure, produces a destructive effect.

The hole, which forms a sub-caliber projectile, has the shape of a funnel, expanding in the direction of its movement. It does not require damaging elements, explosives and a fuse, fragments of armor and core flying inside the combat vehicle pose a mortal threat to the crew, and the released one can cause detonation of fuel and ammunition.

Despite the diversity of anti-tank weapons, sabots, invented over a century ago, still have their place in the arsenal of modern armies.

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

Armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectiles (BOPS) show the highest armor penetration characteristics. Such ammunition appeared several decades ago, and later proved to be a convenient means of destroying armored vehicles with powerful protection different types. As a result, at present, it is BOPS that turn out to be the main tool for tanks to fight other tanks. The development of this class of projectiles continues.

Serial "Mango"

According to various sources, Russian armored units are currently armed with several types of BOPS, and the most massive representative of this class is the 3BM-42 Mango product. The development of a new projectile with increased power under the code "Mango" began in the first half of the eighties. Through the use of certain materials, technologies and solutions, it was necessary to increase armor penetration in comparison with existing projectiles. The future projectile 3BM-42 was supposed to be used with the existing tank guns of the 2A46 family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Long way "Lead"

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

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

Experience has shown that a further increase in the main combat characteristics is associated with a mandatory increase in the length of the projectile. This parameter was increased to 740 mm, but this fact did not allow the use of the future projectile with existing tank loaders. As a result, the next project for the modernization of armored vehicles had to include an update of the automation that serves the gun.

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

For a longer projectile, an improved lead device was created. It is distinguished by its large length and the presence of two contact zones. In front of the device there is a large cylinder of the usual type, and the second zone is created by three rear supports. After exiting the barrel, such a master device is reset and releases the projectile.

"Mango-M" and a cartridge case with a propelling charge. Photo btvt.narod.ru

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

Due to its long length, the new type of projectile could not be used with existing automatic loaders for mass-produced tanks. This problem was solved in the middle of the 2000s. The T-90A armored vehicles of the new series were equipped with modified machine guns compatible with "long" shells. In the future, the upgraded T-72B3 began to receive similar equipment. Thus, a significant part of the equipment of the armored forces can use not only the relatively old "Mango" with limited characteristics.

"Vacuum" for "Armata"

The observed increase in the protection characteristics of tanks of a potential enemy is a real challenge for weapons developers. Further research work led to the conclusion about the need for a new increase in the length of the ammunition. An BOPS 1000 mm long could show the optimal ratio of characteristics, but such a projectile, for obvious reasons, could not be used with the 2A46 gun and its automatic loader.

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

The way out of this situation was the creation of a completely new weapon with additional equipment. The promising gun later became known under the index 2A82, and the new projectile received the code "Vacuum". From a certain time, a new weapon system began to be considered in the context of the project of the promising Armata tank. In case of successful completion of work on the gun and BOPS, new tank could get them as the main weapon.

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

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

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

Appearance and accurate specifications promising BOPS of the Vacuum family have not yet been specified. It is only known that a projectile with a uranium core will penetrate about 900-1000 mm of homogeneous armor. Probably, such characteristics can be obtained with an ideal angle of impact. Other details are missing.

Promising "Slate"

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

Apparently, the projectile for high-powered cannons will be similar in appearance to other representatives of its class. It will receive a high elongation core equipped with a ballistic cap and an armor-piercing damper in the head part, as well as a relatively small-caliber stabilizer. Earlier it was reported that the "Grifel-1" and "Grifel-2" projectiles will be equipped with tungsten and uranium cores. At the same time, there are no data on the parameters of the armor penetration of new shells.

Models of 125-mm guns 2A82-1M. Photo Yuripasholok.livejournal.com

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

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

Shells of the present and future

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

The alleged appearance of the BOPS type "Slate". Picture Otvaga2004.mybb.ru

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

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

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

According to the websites:
http://vpk.mane/
http://ria.ru/
http://tass.ru/
http://otvaga2004.ru/
http://btvt.narod.ru/
http://russianarms.ru/
http://fofanov.armor.kiev.ua/
http://gurkhan.blogspot.com/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/

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 arrow-shaped 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.

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, the velocity of the projectile usually increases armor penetration as it increases, while the durability of the 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 at different times and having their own names, which arose from the name / code R&D. The BOPS are listed below in chronological order from oldest to newest. 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 tungsten alloy core 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 for placing armor (compact or spaced), as well as constant manipulations of developers of all countries with firing distances of the test armor, armor installation angles before testing, various statistical methods for processing test results. As a material for testing in Russia and NATO countries, homogeneous rolled armor is adopted, to obtain more accurate results, composite targets are used.

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 RHA homogeneous armor pierced by rolled armor (the ratio of armor thickness to gun caliber, b / d p) to the following 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, any record-breaking ammunition over the past decades has been this moment not noticed, 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. The strength of modern materials did not allow more increase in the angular velocity of the projectiles.

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. With an initial speed of 1850 m / s, the 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 variants 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 feathered HEAT 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). Anti-aircraft guns of 103 mm caliber with a barrel length of up to 50 calibers were tested. 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 manual firearms were first developed by AAI designer Irwin Bahr.

Firms "AAI", "Springfield", "Winchester" designed various arrow-shaped bullets with 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 and special weapons for it were tested in the United States, but the expected advantages over conventional jacketed 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 belong to 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 Zenith bullets (designed by D. I. Shiryaev) and foreign Sovestra bullets. For example, some types of Sovestra 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 accuracy of fire.

Arrow-shaped feathered bullets of underwater weapons

Russia is developing arrow-shaped (needle-shaped) underwater ammunition without plumage, which is part of the SPS cartridges of 4.5 mm caliber (for the special underwater pistol SPP-1; SPP-1M) and MPS cartridges of 5.66 mm caliber (for the special APS underwater assault rifle ). 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.

At present, 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 standard (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, mortar mines. - 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.

The appearance of tanks on the battlefield was one of the most important events military history the last century. Immediately after this moment, the development of means to combat these formidable machines began. If we take a closer look at the history of armored vehicles, then, in fact, we will see the history of the confrontation between the projectile and armor, which has been going on for almost a century.

In this irreconcilable struggle, one or the other side periodically gained the upper hand, which led either to the complete invulnerability of the tanks, or to their huge losses. In the latter case, every time there were voices about the death of the tank and the "end of the tank era." However, today tanks remain the main striking force. ground forces all the armies of the world.

Today, one of the main types of armor-piercing ammunition that are used to combat armored vehicles are sub-caliber ammunition.

A bit of history

First anti-tank shells were ordinary metal blanks, which, due to their kinetic energy, pierced tank armor. Fortunately, the latter was not very thick, and even anti-tank guns could handle it. However, already before the start of World War II, tanks of the next generation began to appear (KV, T-34, Matilda), with a powerful engine and serious armor.

Major world powers entered the Second world war, having anti-tank artillery caliber 37 and 47 mm, and finished it with guns that reached 88 and even 122 mm.

Increasing the caliber of the gun and initial speed projectile flight, the designers had to increase the mass of the gun, making it more complicated, more expensive and much less maneuverable. It was necessary to look for other ways.

And they were soon found: cumulative and sub-caliber ammunition appeared. The action of cumulative ammunition is based on the use of a directed explosion that burns through tank armor, a sub-caliber projectile also does not have a high-explosive action, it hits a well-protected target due to high kinetic energy.

The design of the sub-caliber projectile was patented back in 1913 by the German manufacturer Krupp, but their mass use began much later. This ammunition does not have a high-explosive effect, it is much more like an ordinary bullet.

For the first time, the Germans began to actively use sub-caliber shells during the French campaign. They had to use such ammunition even more widely after the start of hostilities on Eastern Front. Only using sub-caliber shells, the Nazis could effectively resist the powerful Soviet tanks.

However, the Germans experienced a serious shortage of tungsten, which prevented them from mass-producing such shells. Therefore, the number of such shots in the ammunition load was small, and the military personnel were given strict orders: to use them only against enemy tanks.

In the USSR, serial production of sub-caliber ammunition began in 1943, they were created on the basis of captured German samples.

After the war, work in this direction continued in most of the world's leading weapons powers. Today, sub-caliber ammunition is considered one of the main means of destroying armored targets.

Currently, there are even sub-caliber bullets that significantly increase the firing range of smoothbore weapons.

Operating principle

What is the basis of high armor-piercing action, which has a sub-caliber projectile? How is it different from the usual?

A sub-caliber projectile is a type of ammunition with a caliber of the warhead that is many times smaller than the caliber of the barrel from which it was fired.

It was found that a small-caliber projectile flying at high speed has greater armor penetration than a large-caliber one. But to get high speed after a shot, a more powerful cartridge is needed, which means a more serious caliber gun.

It was possible to resolve this contradiction by creating a projectile, in which the striking part (core) has a small diameter compared to the main part of the projectile. The sub-caliber projectile does not have a high-explosive or shrapnel action, it works on the same principle as a conventional bullet, which hits targets with high kinetic energy.

The sub-caliber projectile consists of a solid core made of a particularly strong and heavy material, a body (pan) and a ballistic fairing.

The pallet diameter is equal to the caliber of the weapon, it acts as a piston when fired, accelerating warhead. Leading belts are installed on the pallets of sub-caliber shells for rifled guns. Typically, the pallet is in the form of a coil and is made of light alloys.

There are armor-piercing sub-caliber shells with a non-detachable pallet, from the moment of the shot until the target is hit, the coil and core act as a single whole. This design creates serious aerodynamic drag, significantly reducing flight speed.

Projectiles are considered more advanced, in which, after a shot, the coil is separated due to air resistance. In modern sub-caliber projectiles, the stability of the core in flight is provided by stabilizers. Often a tracer charge is installed in the tail section.

The ballistic tip is made of soft metal or plastic.

The most important element of a sub-caliber projectile is undoubtedly the core. Its diameter is about three times smaller than the caliber of the projectile, and high-density metal alloys are used to make the core: the most common materials are tungsten carbide and depleted uranium.

Due to the relatively small mass, the core of the sub-caliber projectile immediately after the shot accelerates to a significant speed (1600 m / s). Upon impact with the armor plate, the core pierces a relatively small hole in it. The kinetic energy of the projectile is partly used to destroy armor, and partly converted into heat. After breaking through the armor, 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.

As the armor passes, the core grinds and becomes shorter. Therefore very important characteristic, which affects armor penetration, is the length of the core. Also, the effectiveness of the sub-caliber projectile is affected by the material from which the core is made and the speed of its flight.

The latest generation of Russian sub-caliber projectiles ("Lead-2") is significantly inferior in armor penetration American counterparts. It's connected with greater length striking core, which is part of the American ammunition. An obstacle to increasing the length of the projectile (and, hence, armor penetration) is the device of automatic loaders for Russian tanks.

The armor penetration of the core increases with a decrease in its diameter and with an increase in its mass. This contradiction can be solved by using very dense materials. Initially, tungsten was used for the striking elements of such ammunition, but it is very rare, expensive, and also difficult to process.

Depleted uranium has almost the same density as tungsten, and is a virtually free resource for any country that has a nuclear industry.

At present, sub-caliber munitions with a uranium core are in service with the major powers. In the United States, all such ammunition is equipped only with uranium cores.

Depleted uranium has several advantages:

when passing through the armor, the uranium rod is self-sharpening, which provides better armor penetration, tungsten also has this feature, but it is less pronounced;
after breaking through the armor, under the influence of high temperatures, the remains of the uranium rod flare up, filling the armored space with poisonous gases.

To date, modern sub-caliber shells have almost reached their maximum efficiency. It can be increased only by increasing the caliber of tank guns, but this will require significant changes in the design of the tank. In the meantime, in the leading tank-building states, they are only engaged in modifying vehicles produced during the Cold War, and are unlikely to take such radical steps.

In the United States, active-rocket projectiles with a kinetic warhead are being developed. This is an ordinary projectile, which immediately after the shot turns on its own booster block, which significantly increases its speed and armor penetration.

The Americans are also developing kinetic guided missile, damaging factor which is the uranium rod. After firing from the launch canister, the upper stage turns on, which gives the ammunition a speed of Mach 6.5. Most likely, by 2020 there will be sub-caliber ammunition with a speed of 2000 m/s and higher. This will take their effectiveness to a whole new level.

Sub-caliber bullets

In addition to sub-caliber shells, there are bullets that have the same design. Very widely such bullets are used for 12 gauge cartridges.

Sub-caliber bullets of 12 caliber have a smaller mass, after being fired they receive more kinetic energy and, accordingly, have a greater flight range.

Very popular sub-caliber bullets 12 caliber are: bullet Poleva and "Kirovchanka". There are other similar 12-gauge ammunition.

Video about sub-caliber ammunition

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