Tank ammunition. Types of projectiles and their principle of action
High explosives, or high explosive (HE) rounds, are one of the four types of ammunition in World of Tanks, and probably the least common of them. Their use in battle is very specific, and many do not even know why land mines are needed at all. This article will discuss in detail everything that any self-respecting player should know about them.
General information about landmines
Prevalence in the game
The relative rarity of HE is due to the fact that they are, as a rule, an auxiliary type of projectile. However, a whole class of equipment uses high-explosive fragmentation shells - Art-SPG. And without taking into account artillery, tanks in which a high-explosive cannon is the main weapon can be counted on one hand: KV-2, SU-152, O-I, BT-7 artillery, FV215b (183) and FV 4005 can also be included here. Many other vehicles can also be equipped with high explosives, but these are often secondary weapons and are not considered seriously.
Characteristics of landmines
As an example, let us imagine a fragmentation high explosive shell F-600D, which is fired by the B-1-P gun of the Soviet Art-SAU Object 261:
- Caliber - in general, is not such an important characteristic;
- Armor penetration - for land mines it is always much less compared to cumulative, armor-piercing and sub-caliber projectiles for the same weapon. However, there are also so-called HESH land mines- they can be found in tanks such as Centurion 7/1, FV4202, FV215b (183) and FV 4005. These are armor-piercing land mines, their penetration is very slightly behind other types of shells.
- The damage is increased compared to that of other shells; for artillery it is generally huge and even allows you to destroy some level 10 tanks with one penetration.
- The radius of fragmentation, or splash, means the distance at which damage is caused by fragments after hitting a tank or any other surface. This is especially relevant again for artillery. A huge splash allows high-level Artillery SPGs to inflict enormous damage to vehicles, even just hitting the ground next to them, and even hit two or more vehicles at the same time.
Mechanics of landmines
It is the principle of operation of the HE that makes this type of ammunition quite specific and rarely used. Their main distinctive feature is that they can damage the tank without even penetrating it. However, the damage figures, as a rule, do not exceed half of those stated in the characteristics. These numbers depend on the ratio of the caliber of your gun and the thickness of the enemy tank's armor. If the armor is too thick, then the OFS may not cause any damage at all.
Once in a tank, a high-explosive fragmentation projectile can most likely cause critical damage to some external module, and if it does penetrate, it will almost completely disable the internal module or one of the crew members. In addition, OFS never ricochet, however, for them, as for cumulative shells, the screens and the air gap between the screen and the tank body are an additional obstacle, so it is almost impossible to penetrate shielded tanks with a landmine.
How to use land mines in battle
After reading what was written above, you can guess for yourself how to properly use landmines in World of Tanks. They need to be charged mainly in three situations:
- If you are playing against a tank with very weak armor- one of the branches belongs to these German tank destroyers(Nashorn, St. Emil, Rhm. Borsig WT and so on), French ST Lorr. 40t are also good at penetrating the sides of French tank destroyers Foch and AMX AC, as well as many other poorly armored vehicles. Using high-explosive shells, you not only inflict increased damage, but also additionally disable enemy modules and crew members, thereby reducing their combat effectiveness.
- If you can't penetrate a tank with very thick armor. An example is an IS-7 tanking with a banana turret on the Himmelsdorf map. Firing landmines at such an enemy is more effective - you can slowly inflict damage on him, and as a bonus, also disable external modules - triplex and gun. In addition, such tactics are very annoying and have a psychological impact on your opponent.
- In case you need to finish off an enemy with a very small number of strength points(less than 100), and it is difficult to penetrate it with another type of projectile. By loading a landmine, you don't have to target the tank's weak points - just a simple hit is enough.
High explosive shells in real life
In the end, it is worth noting that the principle of operation of OFS in real life differs significantly from how they are presented in game World of Tanks. In real combat, land mines are mainly used to destroy enemy personnel, as well as unarmored and lightly armored vehicles such as infantry fighting vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles, and to destroy fortifications. For example, during the Soviet-Finnish war, the KV-2 tank with the M-10T howitzer gun was used specifically to combat enemy bunkers and anti-tank barriers. A high-explosive shell is completely ineffective against well-armored vehicles, and, contrary to popular myth, the shock wave does not affect people or explosive equipment located inside the tank.
In addition, real OFS have two switchable modes: fragmentation, when the projectile instantly explodes upon contact with a hard surface, and high-explosive, when the explosion occurs with a delay to give the projectile the opportunity to first enter the interior of the tank or room, and only then explode.
Thus, high-explosive shells in World of Tanks have a very limited area of application, but can greatly facilitate the game in certain situations.
Possessing immeasurably higher combat properties. However, at present, some types of conventional weapons based on the latest achievements science and technology, in their effectiveness are very close to weapons of mass destruction.
Conventional weapons are all fire and strike weapons using artillery, anti-aircraft, aviation, small arms and engineering ammunition and missiles in conventional equipment, incendiary ammunition and mixtures.
Conventional weapons can be used independently and in combination with nuclear weapons to destroy enemy personnel and equipment, as well as to destroy and destroy various particularly important objects.
The best means for destroying small-sized and dispersed targets in combat conditions using conventional weapons are fragmentation, high-explosive, cumulative, concrete-piercing and incendiary ammunition, as well as volumetric explosion ammunition.
Fragmentation projectile
Fragmentation ammunition designed primarily to kill people. The most effective ammunition of this type are ball bombs, which are dropped from aircraft in cassettes containing from 96 to 640 bombs. Above the ground, such a cassette opens, and the bombs scatter and explode over an area of up to 250 thousand m 2. The destructive power of the destructive elements (metal balls with a diameter of 2-3 mm) of each bomb is maintained within a radius of up to 15 m. Cluster bombs can be equipped, in addition to balls, with cubes, shrapnel, etc.
High explosive projectile
Main purpose high explosive ammunition— destruction of industrial, residential and administrative buildings, railways and highways. Defeat of equipment and people. The main damaging factor of high-explosive ammunition is the air shock wave that occurs during the explosion of a conventional explosive with which these ammunition is loaded. They are characterized by a high filling factor (the ratio of explosive mass to total mass ammunition), reaching 55%, and have a caliber from tens to hundreds and thousands of pounds. From shock wave and fragments of high-explosive and fragmentation ammunition effectively protect shelters, shelters various types, blocked cracks. You can hide from ball bombs in buildings, trenches, terrain folds, and sewer wells.
HEAT projectile
Cumulative ammunition designed to destroy armored targets. Their principle of operation is based on burning through an obstacle with a powerful jet of explosive detonation products with a temperature of 6 - 7 thousand degrees and a pressure of 5 * 10 5 - 6 * 10 5 kPa (5 - 6 thousand kgf / cm 2). The formation of a cumulative jet is achieved due to the cumulative recess of a parabolic shape in the explosive charge. Focused detonation products can burn several tens of centimeters and cause fires. To protect against cumulative ammunition, you can use screens made of various materials located at a distance of 15 - 20 cm from the main structure.
Concrete-piercing projectile
Concrete-piercing ammunition designed to destroy high-strength reinforced concrete structures, as well as to destroy airfield runways. The ammunition body contains two charges - cumulative and high-explosive and two detonators. When encountering an obstacle, an instantaneous detonator is activated, which detonates the shaped charge. With some delay (after the ammunition passes through the ceiling), the second detonator is triggered, detonating the high-explosive charge, which causes the main destruction of the object.
Incendiary projectile
Incendiary ammunition are intended to destroy people, destroy by fire buildings and structures of industrial facilities and populated areas, rolling stock and various warehouses. The basis of incendiary ammunition is made up of incendiary substances and mixtures based on petroleum products (napalm); metallized incendiary mixtures (pyrogels); thermite and thermite compounds; ordinary and plasticized phosphorus.
From the family napalm Napalm B is considered the most effective. In addition to petroleum products, napalm B includes polystyrene and salts of naphthenic and palmitic acids. In appearance, it is a gel that adheres well even to wet surfaces. Pieces of napalm burn for 5-10 minutes, developing a temperature of 1200 °C and releasing toxic gases. Burning napalm is capable of penetrating through holes and cracks and causing damage to people in shelters and equipment.
Pyrogels- thickened metallized fire mixtures based on petroleum products, containing magnesium or aluminum shavings (powder), therefore they burn with flashes, developing temperatures up to 1600 ° C and higher. The slag formed during combustion can burn through thin sheets of metal.
Mixtures
Thermite compounds are mechanical mixtures consisting of powdered metals (for example, aluminum) and metal oxides (for example, ferrous oxide). When thermite compositions burn, temperatures reach 3000 °C. Since as a result of the ongoing chemical reaction Oxygen is released from metal oxides; thermite compositions can burn without access to air.
White phosphorus spontaneously ignites in air, developing a combustion temperature of up to 900 °C. This produces a large amount of white toxic smoke (phosphorus oxide), which, along with burns, can cause severe injuries to people.
The basis of incendiary ammunition of various types are aviation incendiary bombs and tanks. In addition, it is possible to use barreled and rocket artillery, using incendiary bombs, grenades and bullets.
To protect wooden structures and surfaces from incendiary weapons, they can be coated with damp earth, clay, lime or cement, and winter time- freeze a layer of ice on them. The most effective protection of people from incendiary weapons is provided by protective structures. Temporary protection can be provided by outerwear, means personal protection.
Volumetric explosion ammunition (BON)
The principle of operation of such ammunition is as follows: liquid fuel, having high thermal conductivity (ethylene oxide, diborane, acetic acid peroxide, propyl nitrate), placed in a special shell. During the explosion, it sprays, evaporates and mixes with oxygen in the air, forming a spherical cloud of fuel-air mixture with a radius of about 15 m and a layer thickness of 2-3 m. The resulting mixture is detonated in several places by special detonators. In the detonation zone, a temperature of 2500-3000 °C develops in a few tens of microseconds. At the moment of explosion, a relative void is formed inside the shell from the fuel-air mixture. Something similar to an explosion of the shell of a ball with evacuated air occurs (“vacuum bomb”).
The main damaging factor of a BW is the shock wave. In terms of their power, volumetric explosion ammunition occupies an intermediate position between nuclear and conventional (high-explosive) ammunition. Excess pressure in the shock wave front of the explosive explosive device, even at a distance of 100 m from the center of the explosion, can reach 100 kPa (1 kgf/cm2).
Precision guided weapons
One of the most important directions of the new stage in the development of conventional weapons is the creation high-precision guided weapons. By her hallmark is a high probability of hitting the target with the first shot at any time of the day and under any meteorological conditions. The stationary location of economic objects allows the enemy to establish in advance their coordinates and the most vulnerable places in technological complex. One of the goals of creating high-precision guided weapons is to eliminate casualties among civilians during military conflicts. But, as the experience of its use by American troops in Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Afghanistan has shown, these casualties cannot be avoided.
High-precision weapons include reconnaissance-strike complexes (RUK) and guided aerial bombs(UAB).
RUKs are designed for guaranteed destruction of well-protected, durable and small-sized objects with minimal means. They combine two elements: destructive weapons (aircraft, missiles equipped with homing warheads) and technical means that ensure their combat use (reconnaissance, communications, navigation systems, control systems, processing and displaying information, generating commands).
UABs resemble conventional bombs, but differ from them in their control system and small wings. Aimed at hitting small targets. Depending on the type and nature of the latter, bombs can be concrete-piercing, armor-piercing, anti-tank, cluster, etc.
Armor-piercing shells- the main type of projectile that can be fired by almost any weapon. This projectile deals damage only if the armor is broken enemy (accompanied by the messages “Breakthrough” and “There is a penetration”). He can also damage modules or crew, if it hits the right place (accompanied by the messages “Hit” and “There is a hit”). If the penetrating power of the projectile is not enough, it will not penetrate the armor and will not cause damage (accompanied by the message “Did not penetrate”). If a projectile hits the armor at too sharp an angle, it will ricochet and also cause no damage (accompanied by the message “Ricochet”).
High Explosive (HE) shells
High-explosive fragmentation shells- have greatest potential damage, But insignificant armor penetration. If a shell penetrates the armor, it explodes inside the tank, causing maximum damage and additional damage to modules or crew from the explosion. A high-explosive fragmentation projectile does not need to penetrate the target's armor - if it does not penetrate, it will explode on the tank's armor, causing less damage than if it penetrates. The damage in this case depends on the thickness of the armor - the thicker the armor, the more damage from the explosion it absorbs. In addition, tank screens also absorb damage from explosions of high-explosive shells. High-explosive fragmentation shells can also damage several tanks at the same time, since the explosion has a certain radius of action. Tank shells have a smaller high-explosive radius, while self-propelled gun shells have a maximum radius. It is also worth noting that only when firing high-explosive shells is it possible to receive the Bombardier award!
Sub-caliber (AP) shells
Sub-caliber shells- These are the most common premium shells in the game, installed in almost any weapon. The operating principle is similar to armor-piercing ones. They are distinguished by increased armor penetration, but they lose more penetration with distance and have less normalization (they lose more effectiveness when firing at an angle to the armor).
Cumulative (CS) projectiles
HEAT shells- premium shells for self-propelled guns and many other tanks in the game. Their penetration is noticeably higher than that of standard armor-piercing shells, and the damage they cause is at the level of armor-piercing shells for the same weapon. The penetration effect is not achieved through kinetic energy projectile (like an BB or BP), but due to the energy of the cumulative jet formed when an explosive of a certain shape is detonated at a certain distance from the armor. Hence the differences from BB and BP - cumulative shells do not ricochet, they are not subject to the normalization rule, three calibers, and they do not lose armor penetration with distance.
Penetration rules for cumulative projectiles
Update 0.8.6 introduces new penetration rules for cumulative projectiles:
- The cumulative projectile can now ricochet when the projectile hits armor at an angle of 85 degrees or more. During a ricochet, the armor penetration of the ricocheted cumulative projectile does not decrease.
- After the first penetration of the armor, the ricochet can no longer work (due to the formation of a cumulative jet).
- After the first penetration of the armor, the projectile begins to lose armor penetration at the following rate: 5% of the armor penetration remaining after penetration - per 10 cm of space traversed by the projectile (50% - per 1 meter of free space from the screen to the armor).
- After each penetration of armor, the armor penetration of the projectile decreases by an amount equal to the thickness armor, taking into account the angle of inclination of the armor relative to the flight path of the projectile.
- Now the tracks also serve as a screen for cumulative projectiles.
Changes to ricochet in update 0.9.3
- Now, when a projectile ricochets, it does not disappear, but continues its movement along a new trajectory, and 25% of the armor penetration is lost for an armor-piercing and sub-caliber projectile, while the armor penetration of a cumulative projectile does not change.
What type of projectile should I use?
Basic rules when choosing between armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation shells:
- Use armor-piercing shells against tanks of your level; high-explosive fragmentation shells against tanks with weak armor or self-propelled guns with open deckhouses.
- Use armor-piercing shells in long-barreled and small-caliber guns; high-explosive fragmentation - in short-barreled and large-caliber. The use of small-caliber HE shells is pointless - they often do not penetrate, and therefore do not cause damage.
- Use high-explosive fragmentation shells at any angle, do not fire armor-piercing shells at an acute angle to the enemy's armor.
- Targeting vulnerable areas and shooting at right angles to armor are also useful for HE - this increases the likelihood of breaking through armor and taking full damage.
- High-explosive fragmentation shells have a high chance of inflicting small but guaranteed damage even if they do not penetrate armor, so they can be effectively used to knock down a grapple from the base and finish off opponents with a small margin of safety.
For example, the 152mm M-10 gun on the KV-2 tank is large-caliber and short-barreled. The larger the caliber of the projectile, the more the explosive substance it contains and the more damage it causes. But due to the short length of the gun's barrel, the projectile is fired with a very low initial velocity, which leads to low penetration, accuracy and range. In such conditions, an armor-piercing projectile, which requires an accurate hit, becomes ineffective, and a high-explosive fragmentation one should be used.
Classifications of modern conventional weapons
Characteristics of modern weapons.
Fire and strike weapons (ammunition)
Fragmentation ammunition - designed to kill people. The peculiarity of ammunition with ready-made or semi-finished lethal elements is a huge number (up to several thousand) of elements (balls, needles, arrows, etc.) weighing from fractions of a gram to several grams. The radius of scattering of fragments is up to 300m.
Ball bombs - come in sizes from a tennis ball to a soccer ball and contain up to 200 metal or plastic balls with a diameter of 5 mm. The radius of destruction of such a bomb, based on the caliber, is 1.5-15 m. Ball bombs are dropped from aircraft in cassettes containing 96-640 bombs. Expanding ball bombs explode over an area of up to 250,000 square meters.
High-explosive ammunition - designed to destroy large ground objects (industrial and administrative buildings, railway junctions, etc.) with a shock wave and fragments. Bomb mass from 50 to 10000kᴦ.
Cumulative ammunition — designed to destroy armored targets.
The principle of operation is based on burning an obstacle with a powerful jet of high-density gases with
temperature 6000-7000 0 C. Focused detonation products are capable of burning holes in armored floors several tens of centimeters thick and causing fires.
Concrete-piercing ammunition - designed to destroy airfield runways and other objects with a concrete surface. The Durandal concrete-piercing bomb weighs 195 kg and is 2.7 m long and has a warhead mass of 100 kᴦ. It is capable of piercing a concrete coating 70 cm thick; after breaking through the concrete, the bomb explodes (sometimes with a delay), forming a crater 2 m deep and 5 m in diameter.
Volumetric explosion ammunition - designed to destroy people, buildings, structures and equipment with an air shock wave and fire.
What is a land mine? What types of high-explosive shells are there?
The principle of operation is to spray gas-air mixtures in the air with subsequent detonation of the resulting cloud of aerosols. The explosion results in enormous pressure.
Incendiary ammunition has a damaging effect on people, equipment, etc.
objects are based on direct exposure to high temperatures.
Incendiary substances are divided into:
● Compositions based on petroleum products (napalm)
● Metallized incendiary mixtures
● Termites and termite compounds
● White phosphorus
Characteristics of incendiary ammunition:
● Compositions based on petroleum products. NAPALM- a mixture of gasoline and thickener powder (90-97: 10-3). It ignites well even on wet surfaces and is capable of creating a high-temperature fire (1000 - 1200°C) with a burning duration of 5-10 minutes. Lighter than water.
● Metallized incendiary mixtures. ELECTRON - an alloy of magnesium, aluminum and other elements (96:3:1). It ignites at 600 0 C and burns with a dazzling white or bluish flame, reaching a temperature of 2800 ° C.
● Thermite compositions are compressed powder of aluminum and oxides of refractory metals. Burning thermite heats up to 3000˚C.
● White phosphorus - translucent solid, similar to wax. Capable of self-ignition when combining with oxygen in the air. Flame temperature 900-1200˚С. It is most often used as a napalm igniter and smoke-generating agent.
Precision weapons:
Reconnaissance and strike complexes (RUK) - RUK combines two elements: destructive weapons (aircraft, missiles equipped with homing warheads capable of selecting the desired targets among other objects and local objects) and technical means that ensure their combat use (reconnaissance means, communications, navigation, control systems, processing and display, information, command generation).
Guided aerial bombs are designed to destroy small targets that require high precision. Taking into account the dependence on the type and nature of targets, UABs can be concrete-piercing, armor-piercing, anti-tank, cassette, etc.
The probability of hitting a UAB is not lower than 05.
Nuclear weapons. Damaging factors nuclear explosion Characteristics of damage to factors of a nuclear explosion. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction, the action of which is based on the use of fission energy of heavy nuclei of certain isotopes of uranium and plutonium or on thermonuclear reactions of synthesis of light nuclei of hydrogen isotopes of deuterium and tritium.
Nuclear weapons are divided according to their power: (Ultra-small (less than 1 kt), Small (1-10 kt), Medium (10-100 kt), Large (100-1000 kg), Extra-large (more than 1000 kt))
DAMAGED FACTORS
Shock wave (direct or indirect effect on the body)
Light radiation – thermal burns of the skin and eyes.
Penetrating radiation is a stream of neurons and gamma rays.
Radioactive contamination of the area.
Feature: combined lesions.
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125MM HIGH EXPLOSIVE AND SPECIAL AMMUNITION
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unlike the series Western countries, continuously increasing the emphasis of tank weapons on fighting tanks by reducing the tank’s ability to fight enemy manpower, in accordance with the traditional Soviet worldview, tanks are the most effective means combating enemy personnel and fortifications on the battlefield, and this is reflected in the range of anti-personnel ammunition developed for the 125 mm gun, and the share of such ammunition in a typical ammunition load (about 40% high-explosive fragmentation ammunition, in addition to approximately 45% cumulative, also suitable for combating enemy personnel; this share may be even greater depending on the combat mission).
The most common type of ammunition is the fin-stabilized multi-purpose high-explosive fragmentation projectile. Its scope of application was further expanded with the introduction of the Ainet system for remote electronic detonation of ammunition. There are also other specialized projectiles, such as SGPE and incendiary, but these are less common.
125-mm OFS have good accuracy (normative dispersion: 0.23 etc.) and are similar in lethality to 122-mm artillery ammunition.
The suitability of these ammunition for combating tanks is limited, however, tests in a number of countries have shown that a direct hit of OFS on armored vehicles can cause loss of mobility, and with a high probability - loss or significant reduction in firepower. Light armored vehicles are highly likely to be completely destroyed.
AMMUNITION DIAGRAM
Soviet OFS have the following structure: the explosive charge is placed in a housing (3), equipped with two driving belts (4). In the nose of the projectile there is a fuse (2) with a protective cap (1). The tail contains 4 folded stabilizers (6), attached to the base (7) and held in the folded position by stoppers (5) and a plastic ring (8). The latter is destroyed during the firing process and releases the stabilizers, which open along the axes of rotation (9) and ensure the stability of the projectile along the trajectory.
The required operation mode (high-explosive, high-explosive fragmentation or fragmentation) is set by installing the fuse valve in one of two positions and the presence or absence of a protective cap:
OF mode : fuse valve in position “O” (open), cap installed. Response time - 0.01 sec. This is a standard operation mode, ensuring the correct functioning of the projectile in most cases, and does not require any special preparatory actions by the crew.
High-explosive shells: standard designs and promising developments
F mode : tap in position “Z” (closed), cap installed. Response time - 0.1 sec. This special mode is designed to increase the depth of the projectile before detonation, to destroy fortifications and destroy manpower and equipment covered with earthen parapets. To use a projectile in this mode, you need to turn the fuse tap with a special key before loading the projectile.
Mode O : fuse valve in position “O” (open), cap missing. Response time - 0.001 sec. This special mode is mainly intended for the correct firing of the projectile on soft soil and marshy soils at distances less than 3000 m. Due to the extreme sensitivity of the projectile in this mode, it is prohibited to use it while moving, through the protective cover of the gun, or during rain or hail .
OFS shells use a standard propellant charge (4Zh-40 or 4Zh-52) and have a n.s. 850 m/s.
An incendiary weapon is called military means, the action of which is based on the use of the damaging properties of incendiary substances. Incendiary weapons (IW) are designed to defeat enemy personnel, destroy their weapons, military equipment, stocks material resources and to create fires in combat areas. The main damaging factors of ZZH are those released during its use thermal energy and combustion products toxic to humans.
Incendiary weapons have damaging factors that operate in time and space. They are divided into primary and secondary. Primary damaging factors (thermal energy, smoke and toxic combustion products) manifest themselves on the target from several seconds to several minutes during the use of incendiary weapons. Secondary damaging factors, as a consequence of emerging fires, manifest themselves from several minutes and hours to days and weeks.
The damaging effect of incendiary weapons on people is manifested:
- in the form of primary and secondary burns of the skin and mucous tissues due to direct contact of burning incendiary substances with the skin of the body or uniform;
- in the form of damage (burns) to the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract, followed by the development of swelling and suffocation when inhaling highly heated air, smoke and other combustion products;
- in the form of heat stroke, as a result of body overheating;
- exposure to toxic products of incomplete combustion of incendiary substances and combustible materials;
- the inability to continue the respiratory function due to partial burnout of oxygen from the air, especially in closed buildings, basements, dugouts and other shelters;
- in the mechanical impact on humans of fire storms and whirlwinds during massive fires.
Often these factors appear simultaneously, and their severity depends on the type of incendiary substance used and its quantity, the nature of the target and the conditions of use. In addition, incendiary weapons have a strong moral and psychological impact on a person, reducing his ability to actively resist fire.
An incendiary substance or an incendiary mixture of substances capable of igniting, burning steadily and releasing a large amount of thermal energy. Figure 7 shows the main groups of incendiary substances and mixtures.
Rice. 7. Main groups of incendiary substances and mixtures
According to combustion conditions, incendiary substances and mixtures can be divided into two main groups:
- burning in the presence of atmospheric oxygen (napalm, white phosphorus);
- burning without access to air oxygen (thermite and thermite compounds).
Incendiary mixtures based on petroleum products can be unthickened or thickened (viscous). This is the most common type of mixture, capable of infecting manpower and igniting flammable materials.
Unthickened mixtures are prepared from gasoline, diesel fuel and lubricating oils. They are highly flammable and are used in backpack flamethrowers for a short flamethrowing range.
Thickened mixtures (napalms) are viscous, jelly-like, sticky masses consisting of gasoline or other liquid hydrocarbon fuel mixed in a certain ratio with various thickeners. Thickeners are substances that, when dissolved in a flammable base, impart a certain viscosity to mixtures. Aluminum salts of organic acids, synthetic rubber, polystyrene and other polymeric substances are used as thickeners.
The self-igniting incendiary mixture is triethylaluminum thickened with polyisobutylene.
The damaging effect of a high-explosive fragmentation projectile
The appearance of the mixture resembles napalm. The mixture has the ability to spontaneously ignite in air. The mixture is also capable of self-ignition on wet surfaces and snow due to the addition of sodium, potassium, magnesium or phosphorus.
Metallized incendiary mixtures (pyrogels) consist of petroleum products with the addition of powdered or shavings of magnesium or aluminum, oxidizing agents, liquid asphalt and heavy oils. The introduction of combustible materials into the composition of pyrogels increases the combustion temperature and gives these mixtures a burning ability. Unlike ordinary napalm, pyrogens are heavier than water and burn for 1-3 minutes.
Napalms, self-igniting incendiary mixtures and pyrogels adhere well to various surfaces of weapons, military equipment, and human uniforms.
They are highly flammable and difficult to remove and extinguish. When burning, napalms develop a temperature of about 1000-120000C, pirogels - up to 1600-200000C. Self-igniting incendiary mixtures are difficult to extinguish with water. When burning, they develop a temperature of 1100-130000C. Napalms are used for flamethrowing from tanks and backpack flamethrowers, for equipping aircraft bombs and tanks, various types of fire mines.
Self-igniting incendiary mixtures and pyrogens are capable of causing severe burns to personnel, setting fire to weapons and military equipment, and also creating fires in the area, in buildings and structures. Pyrogels are also capable of burning through thin sheets of metal.
Termite– a compressed mixture of powdered iron oxides with granulated aluminum. Thermite compositions, in addition to the listed components, contain oxidizing agents and binders (magnesium, sulfur, lead peroxide, barium nitrate). When thermites and thermite compositions burn, thermal energy is released as a result of the interaction of the oxide of one metal with another metal, forming liquid molten slag with a temperature of about 300,000C. Burning thermite compounds can burn through iron and steel. Thermite and thermite compositions are used to equip incendiary mines, shells, small-caliber aircraft bombs, hand-held incendiary grenades and checkers.
White phosphorus- hard, waxy poisonous substance. It dissolves well in liquid organic solvents and is stored under a layer of water. In air, phosphorus spontaneously ignites and burns, releasing a large amount of acrid white smoke, developing a temperature of 100,000C.
Plasticized white phosphorus is a plastic mass of synthetic rubber and particles white phosphorus, it is more stable during storage; when used, it is crushed into large, slowly burning pieces, and is capable of sticking to vertical surfaces and burning through them.
Burning phosphorus causes severe, painful burns that take a long time to heal. It is used in incendiary and smoke-generating artillery shells, mines, aircraft bombs and hand grenades, and also as an igniter for napalm and pyrogel.
Electron– an alloy of magnesium (96%), aluminum (3%) and other elements (1%). It ignites at a temperature of 60,000C and burns with a dazzling white or bluish flame, developing a temperature of up to 280,000C. Used for the manufacture of casings for small-sized aviation incendiary bombs.
Alkali metals, especially potassium and sodium, have the property of reacting with water and igniting. They are dangerous to handle, so they are not used independently, but are used as a rule, to ignite napalm or as part of self-igniting mixtures.
For the effective use of incendiary substances and mixtures, special means are used. Combat means - a specific design of a combat device or ammunition that ensures delivery to the target and the effective transfer of an incendiary substance or mixture into a combat state.
Combat weapons include: aviation and artillery incendiary ammunition, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, fire mines, grenades, cartridges, checkers. Means and methods of protection against incendiary weapons. To protect personnel from the damaging effects of incendiary weapons, use:
- closed fortifications;
- weapons and military equipment;
- natural shelters, as well as various local materials;
- personal protective equipment for skin and respiratory organs;
- overcoats, pea coats, padded jackets, short fur coats, raincoats, etc.
To protect weapons and military equipment from incendiary weapons, use:
- trenches and shelters equipped with ceilings;
- natural shelters;
- tarpaulins, awnings and covers;
- coverings made from local materials;
- standard and local fire extinguishing agents.
Protection of troops from incendiary weapons is organized with the aim of preventing or maximally weakening their impact on troops, maintaining their combat effectiveness and ensuring that they carry out their assigned combat missions, as well as preventing the occurrence and spread of massive fires and, if necessary, ensuring their localization and extinguishing.
The organization of protection of troops from incendiary weapons is carried out by commanders and staffs of all levels in all types of combat activities of troops simultaneously with the organization of protection from other means of mass destruction. The general management of the organization of protection against incendiary weapons is carried out by the commander. It determines the most important activities and the timing of their implementation.
On the basis of the commander, the headquarters, together with the chiefs of services, develops measures to protect units (units) from incendiary weapons and monitors the implementation of these measures.
- The main measures to protect against incendiary weapons are:
- forecasting the occurrence and spread of fires;
- conducting continuous reconnaissance and surveillance, timely detection of enemy preparations for the use of incendiary weapons;
- timely warning of troops about the threat and the beginning of the use of incendiary weapons;
- dispersal of troops and periodic change of areas where they are located;
- engineering equipment for troop deployment areas;
- use of protective and camouflage properties of the terrain, protective properties of weapons and military equipment, personal protective equipment;
- providing troops with the necessary forces and means of fire extinguishing and fire-fighting measures;
- ensuring the safety and protection of troops when operating in the zone of massive fires;
- identifying and eliminating the consequences of the enemy’s use of incendiary weapons.
Conventional means of destruction(OSP) is a complex of small arms, artillery, engineering, naval, missile and aviation weapons or ammunition that use the energy of impact and explosion of explosives and their mixtures.
Conventional weapons are classified according to the method of delivery, caliber, type of warheads, and the principle of action on obstacles.
The most common conventional ammunition that can be used to strike cities and settlements, there may be fragmentation bombs, high-explosive bombs, ball bombs, volumetric explosion ammunition, incendiary weapons. Let's get acquainted with some types of ammunition of conventional weapons and their damaging factors.
Fragmentation bombs used to kill people and animals. When a bomb explodes, a large number of fragments are formed, which fly in different directions at a distance of up to 300 m from the explosion site. Splinters do not penetrate brick and wooden walls.
High explosive bombs designed to destroy all kinds of structures. Compared to nuclear weapons, their destructive power is small. Unexploded aerial bombs pose a great danger. Most often they have delayed fuses that go off automatically some time after the bomb is dropped.
Ball bombs equipped with a huge amount (from several hundred to several thousand) fragments (balls, needles, arrows, etc.) weighing up to several grams. Ball bombs ranging in size from a tennis ball to a soccer ball can contain 300 metal or plastic balls with a diameter of 5-6 mm.
Fragmentation and high-explosive fragmentation warheads
The radius of the bomb's destructive effect is up to 15 m.
Volumetric explosion ammunition dropped from an aircraft in the form of cassettes. The cartridge contains three rounds of ammunition containing approximately 35 kg of liquid ethylene oxide each. Ammunition is separated in the air. When they hit the ground, a fuse is triggered, which ensures the dispersion of liquid and the formation of a gas cloud with a diameter of 15 m and a height of 2.5 m. This cloud is undermined by a special delayed-action device.
The main damaging factor of volumetric explosion ammunition is a shock wave propagating at supersonic speed, the power of which is 4-6 times higher than the explosion energy of a conventional explosive.
Incendiary weapon Depending on the composition, it is divided into: incendiary mixtures based on petroleum products (napalm), metallized incendiary mixtures, thermite compositions, white phosphorus.
The means of using incendiary weapons can be aerial bombs, cassettes, artillery incendiary ammunition, flamethrowers, etc.
The thermal effect of incendiary weapons on the human body leads primarily to burns.
Incendiaries used in the form of aerial bombs pose a serious danger to people. When they get on exposed skin or clothing, they cause very severe burns and burnouts. During the combustion of these products, the air quickly heats up, which leads to burns of the respiratory tract. The use of incendiary agents causes massive fires.
Mines – one of the most insidious types of weapons. They cause untold suffering to the civilian population for a long time after they end fighting. The exact number of mines left after wars and armed conflicts on the territory of more than 70 countries is unknown, but even according to approximate data International Committee The Red Cross and the UN Department of Mine Action currently put it at 100 million. Millions of them have not yet been cleared and are still waiting for their victims in different corners planets; Every year, mines claim more than 25,000 innocent lives. Every week around the globe, about 500 people are killed or disabled as a result of mine explosions, in other words, every 20 minutes someone is killed or maimed by mines.
Nuclear weapons- a type of explosive weapon of mass destruction based on the use of intranuclear energy released during chain reactions of fission of heavy nuclei of some isotopes of uranium and plutonium or during fusion reactions of light nuclei such as deuterium, tritium (hydrogen isotopes) and lithium.
Nuclear weapons include: various nuclear weapons; means of their delivery to the target (carriers); controls. Nuclear weapons include nuclear warheads of missiles and torpedoes, nuclear bombs, artillery shells, depth charges, mines (land mines). Carriers of nuclear weapons are considered to be aircraft, surface ships and submarines equipped with nuclear weapons and delivering them to the launch (firing) site. There are also carriers of nuclear charges (missiles, torpedoes, shells, aircraft and depth charges), which deliver them directly to targets. They can be launched (shot) from stationary installations or from moving objects. (A nuclear charge is component nuclear weapons).
Damaging factors of a nuclear explosion:
1. Shock wave- the main damaging factor of a nuclear explosion, since most of the destruction and damage to structures, buildings, as well as injuries to people are, as a rule, caused by the impact of a shock wave. It is an area of sharp compression of the medium, spreading in all directions from the explosion site at supersonic speed. The front boundary of the compressed air layer is called the shock wave front. The damaging effect of a shock wave is characterized by the magnitude overpressure, i.e., the difference between the maximum pressure in the shock wave front and normal atmospheric pressure.
2. Light radiation- a stream of radiant energy, including visible, ultraviolet and infrared rays. Its source is a luminous area formed by the hot explosion products and hot air. Light radiation spreads almost instantly and lasts, depending on the power of the nuclear explosion, up to 20 s. However, its strength is such that, despite its short duration, it can cause burns to the skin (skin), damage (permanent or temporary) to people’s organs of vision and fire of flammable materials and objects.
3. Ionizing radiation(penetrating radiation) there is a stream of gamma rays and neutrons. It lasts 10-15 s. Passing through living tissue, gamma radiation and neutrons ionize the molecules that make up the cells. Under the influence of ionization, changes in biological processes occur in the body, leading to disruption of the vital functions of the body.
4. Radioactive contamination is the result of loss radioactive substances from the cloud of a nuclear explosion both in the area of the explosion and far beyond it, at a distance of several hundred and even thousands of kilometers. Radioactive substances are a source of radiation harmful to living organisms. Radioactive damage resulting from external irradiation and the entry of radioactive substances into the body causes radiation sickness.
5. Electromagnetic pulse occurs as a result of the interaction of radiation emanating from the zone of a nuclear explosion with atoms of the environment. As a result, short-term electrical and magnetic fields, which represent an electromagnetic pulse.
As a result of its impact, wire and cable lines and radio equipment are damaged.
Chemical weapons- weapons of mass destruction, the action of which is based on the toxic properties of chemicals.
Chemical weapons include toxic substances (CAS) and means of their use. Missiles, aircraft bombs, and artillery shells are equipped with toxic substances.
Based on their effect on the human body, agents are divided into nerve agents, blister agents, asphyxiating agents, general toxic agents, irritants and psychochemical agents.
Bacteriological (biological) weapons- a type of weapon of mass destruction, the action of which is based on the use of the pathogenic properties of microorganisms and their metabolic products.
Bacteriological (biological) weapons (BW) are special ammunition and combat devices with delivery vehicles, equipped with biological agents and intended for mass destruction of enemy personnel, farm animals, and crops.
Along with nuclear and chemical weapons bacteriological weapons are weapons of mass destruction.
The damaging effect of BO is based primarily on the use of the pathogenic properties of microbes and toxic products of their vital activity. The basis of the destructive effect of biological weapons are biological agents specially selected for combat use and capable of causing massive severe diseases in people, animals, and plants.
Precision Weapons (HTO) is a controlled weapon, the effectiveness of which is based on high accuracy of hitting the target.
Precision-precision weapons (HPE) include: combat missiles for various purposes; guided missiles; guided aerial bombs, etc.
With the help of high-tech weapons with conventional, non-nuclear weapons, it is possible to inflict defeats comparable in their consequences to defeat from low-yield tactical nuclear weapons. Further development of the WTO goes in the direction of its “intellectualization, i.e.
the ability to recognize targets, including on the battlefield and in jammed conditions, and when targeting large targets, select the most vulnerable element to hit.
A German monk who discovered the propellant properties of gunpowder, he never imagined that he would become the progenitor of a new god - the god of war.
The Birth of Artillery
The monk’s discovery was very quickly used in military affairs, and soon two directions for the development of weapons appeared, which used the propellant properties of gunpowder. The first of these was the creation of a lightweight manual small arms, the second is the production of guns. The emergence of manual firearms did not lead to the creation of a new type of army. They simply armed existing ones, replacing bows and light throwing spears - darts - in the infantry and cavalry. But the appearance of cannons created new troops, which in Rus' were called “firearms,” and which the Italian weapons theorist Niccolo Tartaglia proposed to call artillery, which translated means “the art of shooting.” Some researchers believe that this appeared much earlier than the discovery of the German monk, with the invention of the first throwing machines - ballistas. Be that as it may, artillery became the god of war precisely with the creation of firearms.
Development of the God of War
Over time, military affairs did not stand still, and artillery guns not only improved, but also new types appeared: howitzers, mortars, jet systems volley fire and others. In the twentieth century, artillery truly dominated the battlefields. And along with the development of guns, artillery ammunition for them also developed.
Types of projectiles
First artillery shell, which was fired at the enemy, was nothing more than an ordinary stone loaded into a ballista. With the advent of cannons, special stone and then metal cannonballs began to be used. They caused damage to the enemy due to the kinetic energy received during the shot. But back in the twelfth century AD, China used a high-explosive projectile thrown at the enemy by means of a catapult. Therefore, the proposal to make hollow cores with an explosive inside did not take long to come. This is how the high-explosive artillery shell appeared. It caused significant damage to the enemy due to the energy of the explosion and the scattering of fragments. After the advent of armored targets, special armor-piercing, sub-caliber and cumulative ammunition were developed to combat them. Their task was to penetrate the armor and disable the mechanisms and manpower located in the armored space. There are also projectiles special purpose: lighting, incendiary, chemical, propaganda and others. Recently, guided munitions have been gaining popularity, which themselves adjust their flight to more accurately hit targets.
High explosive shells
A landmine is one that causes damage to the enemy through a shock wave, high temperature and explosion products (some explosives, for example, produce toxic emissions upon combustion). High explosive projectile in pure form practically not used. The explosive charge is placed in a durable metal casing that can withstand high blood pressure in the bore. Therefore, when detonated, the shell forms a large number of fragments. This type of ammunition is called a high-explosive fragmentation projectile (HEF). The vast majority artillery ammunition these are the OFS.
Shrapnel
Since it is difficult to guarantee uniform dispersion of fragments when detonating a conventional OFS, a high-explosive fragmentation projectile with ready-made submunitions was developed. This type of ammunition was called “shrapnel” (in honor of its inventor, British officer Henry Shrapnel). It is most effective when detonated at a height of several meters from the ground. In modern ammunition, the striking elements are shaped like feathered pyramids, which makes it possible to hit even lightly armored targets.
Land mine against armor
At the end of the 40s of the twentieth century, a high-explosive projectile was developed in Great Britain to destroy enemy armored vehicles. It had a thin-walled body that contained an explosive charge and a detonator with a moderator. Upon contact with the armor, the thin metal shell was destroyed, and the explosive was flattened over the armor, capturing as much as possible large area. After this, the detonator was triggered and the explosive was detonated. As a result, the crew and mechanisms in the armored space were damaged by internal fragments and the top layer of armor was burned. This type is called an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile. However, with the advent of dynamic protection and spaced armor, it was considered ineffective. Currently, such shells are in service only in their homeland - Great Britain.
High explosive fuses
The first fuse for high-explosive fragmentation ammunition was an ordinary fuse, which was ignited when fired from a cannon and initiated the detonation of explosives through certain time. However, after the advent of rifled guns and conical-shaped projectiles, which guaranteed the front of the hull would encounter an obstacle, impact fuses appeared. Their advantage was that the explosive detonation occurred immediately after contact with the obstacle. For destruction, the impact fuses were equipped with a moderator. This allowed the ammunition to first penetrate the obstacle, thereby dramatically increasing its effectiveness. By equipping a landmine with such a fuse with a more massive body with thick walls (which made it possible, due to kinetic energy, to penetrate deep into the walls of long-term firing points), we obtained a concrete-piercing projectile.
By the way, at the initial stage of the Great Patriotic War using 152-mm concrete-piercing shells they successfully fought against German armored vehicles. If hit medium or light german tank the shell, due to its weight, first destroyed the car, tore down the turret, and then exploded. The disadvantage of impact fuses was that when they hit viscous soil (for example, a swamp), they did not work. This problem was eliminated by a remote fuse, which allows the ammunition to be detonated at a certain distance from the muzzle of the gun barrel. Currently, this type of detonator is used in almost all OFS. It allows, for example, firing tank guns at air targets (helicopters).
Combat use of high-explosive shells
High-explosive fragmentation shells are the main type of ammunition used by modern artillery systems. They are used to destroy fortifications, damage and destroy various enemy military equipment, weapons, and manpower. With their help, passages are made in engineering defensive structures. For example, in the final period of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet ISU-152s, using a 152-mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile, successfully destroyed German bunkers, which ensured a breakthrough for the 1st and 2nd Guards tank armies Katukova and Bogdanov northeast of Berlin. Even the most powerful non-nuclear weapons of our time (Smerch RZSO) rely on 9M55F high-explosive fragmentation rockets, which when fired in salvos are equated to weapons of mass destruction.
There are many types of projectiles implemented in War Thunder, each of which has its own characteristics. In order to competently compare different projectiles, choose the main type of ammunition before battle, and in battle use suitable projectiles for different purposes in different situations, you need to know the basics of their design and operating principle. This article describes the types of projectiles and their design, as well as provides tips on their use in combat. You should not neglect this knowledge, because the effectiveness of the weapon largely depends on the shells for it.
Types of tank ammunition
Armor-piercing caliber projectiles
Chambered and solid armor-piercing shells
As the name suggests, the purpose of armor-piercing shells is to penetrate the armor and thereby hit the tank. Armor-piercing shells come in two types: chambered and solid. Chamber shells have a special cavity inside - a chamber in which the explosive is located. When such a projectile penetrates the armor, the fuse is triggered and the projectile explodes. The crew of the enemy tank is hit not only by fragments from the armor, but also by the explosion and fragments of a chambered shell. The explosion does not occur immediately, but with a delay, thanks to which the projectile has time to fly inside the tank and explodes there, causing the greatest damage. In addition, the sensitivity of the fuse is set to, for example, 15 mm, that is, the fuse will only work if the thickness of the armor being penetrated is above 15 mm. This is necessary so that the chamber shell explodes in the fighting compartment when penetrating the main armor, and does not cock against the screens.
A solid projectile does not have a chamber with an explosive; it is just a metal blank. Of course, solid shells cause much less damage, but they penetrate a greater thickness of armor than similar chamber shells, since solid shells are stronger and heavier. For example, the BR-350A armor-piercing chamber projectile from the F-34 cannon penetrates 80 mm at right angles at point-blank range, and the BR-350SP solid projectile penetrates as much as 105 mm. The use of solid shells is very typical for the British school of tank building. Things got to the point where the British removed explosives from American 75-mm chamber shells, turning them into solid shells.
The destructive power of solid projectiles depends on the ratio of the thickness of the armor and the armor penetration of the projectile:
- If the armor is too thin, then the projectile will penetrate it right through and damage only those elements that it hits along the way.
- If the armor is too thick (at the border of penetration), then small non-lethal fragments are formed that will not cause much harm.
- Maximum armor effect - in case of penetration of sufficiently thick armor, while the penetration of the projectile should not be completely used up.
Thus, in the presence of several solid shells, the best armor effect will be with the one with greater armor penetration. As for chamber shells, the damage 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-headed projectile; c - arrow-shaped sub-caliber projectile
Armor-piercing shells are divided not only into chambered and solid, but also into sharp-headed and blunt-headed. Sharp-headed projectiles pierce thicker armor at right angles, since at the moment of contact with the armor, the entire force of the impact falls on a small area of the armor plate. However, the efficiency of work against inclined armor for sharp-headed projectiles is lower due to a greater tendency to ricochet at large angles of contact with the armor. Conversely, blunt-headed shells penetrate thicker armor at an angle than sharp-headed shells, but have less armor penetration at a right angle. Let's take, for example, the armor-piercing chamber shells of the T-34-85 tank. At a distance of 10 meters, the sharp-headed BR-365K projectile penetrates 145 mm at a right angle and 52 mm at an angle of 30°, and the blunt-headed BR-365A projectile penetrates 142 mm at a right angle, but 58 mm at an angle of 30°.
In addition to sharp-headed and blunt-headed projectiles, there are sharp-headed projectiles with an armor-piercing tip. When meeting an armor plate at a right angle, such a projectile acts like a sharp-headed projectile and has good armor penetration compared to a similar blunt-headed projectile. When hitting inclined armor, the armor-piercing tip “bites” the projectile, preventing ricochet, and the projectile works like a blunt-headed one.
However, sharp-headed projectiles with an armor-piercing tip, like blunt-headed projectiles, have a significant drawback - greater aerodynamic drag, which is why armor penetration at a distance decreases more than with sharp-headed projectiles. To improve aerodynamics, ballistic caps are used, thanks to which armor penetration increases at medium and long distances. For example, the German 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun has two armor-piercing chamber shells available, one with a ballistic cap and one without. An armor-piercing sharp-headed projectile with a PzGr armor-piercing tip at a right angle penetrates 266 mm at 10 meters and 157 mm at 2000 meters. But an armor-piercing projectile with an armor-piercing tip and a ballistic cap PzGr 43 at a right angle penetrates 269 mm at 10 meters and 208 mm at 2000 meters. In close combat there are no particular differences between them, but at long distances the difference in armor penetration is huge.
Armor-piercing chamber projectiles 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 chambered or solid. The same applies to blunt-headed shells, as well as sharp-headed shells with an armor-piercing tip, and so on. Let's bring it all together possible options to the table. Below the icon of each projectile are written the abbreviated names of the projectile type in English terminology; these are the terms used in the book “WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery”, according to which many projectiles in the game are configured. If you hover over the abbreviated name with the mouse cursor, a hint with decoding and translation will appear.
 Dumbheaded (with ballistic cap) |
 Pointy-headed |
 Pointy-headed with armor-piercing tip |
 Pointy-headed with armor-piercing tip and ballistic cap |
|
| Solid projectile |
APBC |
AP |
APC |
APCBC |
 Chamber projectile |
|
APHE |
APHEC |
|
Sub-caliber shells
Coil sabot shells
Action of a sub-caliber projectile:
1 - ballistic cap
2 - body
3 - core
Armor-piercing caliber projectiles were described above. They are called caliber because the diameter of their warhead is equal to the caliber of the gun. There are also armor-piercing sabot shells, the diameter of the warhead of which is smaller than the caliber of the gun. The simplest type of sub-caliber projectile is coil-type (APCR - Armour-Piercing Composite Rigid). A reel-to-reel sabot projectile consists of three parts: a body, a ballistic cap and a core. The housing serves to accelerate the projectile in the barrel. At the moment of contact with the armor, the ballistic cap and body are crushed, and the core pierces the armor, hitting the tank with fragments.
At close ranges, sub-caliber shells penetrate thicker armor than caliber shells. Firstly, a sub-caliber projectile is smaller and lighter than a conventional armor-piercing projectile, due to which it accelerates to higher speeds. Secondly, the projectile core is made of hard alloys with a high specific gravity. Thirdly, due to the small size of the core, at the moment of contact with the armor, the impact energy falls on a small area of the armor.
But reel-fired sub-caliber shells also have significant disadvantages. Due to their relatively low weight, sub-caliber projectiles are ineffective at long distances; they lose energy faster, hence the drop in accuracy and armor penetration. The core does not have an explosive charge, therefore, in terms of armor effect, sub-caliber shells are much weaker than chamber shells. Finally, sub-caliber projectiles do not work well against sloping armor.
Coil-type sabot shells were effective only in close combat and were used in cases where enemy tanks were invulnerable to caliber armor-piercing shells. The use of sub-caliber shells made it possible to significantly increase the armor penetration of existing guns, which made it possible to hit even outdated guns against more modern, well-armored armored vehicles.
Sub-caliber projectiles with detachable tray
APDS projectile and its core
APDS projectile in section, showing the core with a ballistic tip
Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS) is a further development of the design of sub-caliber projectiles.
Coil-fired sub-caliber projectiles had a significant drawback: the body flew along with the core, increasing aerodynamic drag and, as a result, a decrease in accuracy and armor penetration at a distance. For sub-caliber projectiles with a detachable pan, instead of a body, a detachable pan was used, which first accelerated the projectile in the gun barrel, and then was separated from the core by air resistance. The core flew to the target without a pallet and, thanks to significantly lower aerodynamic drag, did not lose armor penetration at a distance as quickly as coil-type sub-caliber projectiles.
During the Second World War, sub-caliber shells with a detachable tray were distinguished by record armor penetration and flight speed. For example, the Shot SV Mk.1 sub-caliber projectile for a 17-pounder gun accelerated to 1203 m/s and penetrated 228 mm of soft armor at a right angle at 10 meters, and the Shot Mk.8 armor-piercing caliber projectile only 171 mm in the same conditions.
Feathered sub-caliber projectiles
Separation of the pallet from the BOPS
BOPS projectile
Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) is the most modern look armor-piercing projectiles designed to destroy heavily armored vehicles protected the latest types armor and active protection.
These shells are a further development of sub-caliber shells with a detachable tray and also have longer length and smaller cross section. Rotation stabilization is not very effective for high aspect ratio projectiles, so armor-piercing fin-stabilized sabot (AFPS) rounds are stabilized by fins and are typically used for firing from smoothbore guns (however, early AFPS and some modern ones are designed to fire from rifled guns). guns).
Modern BOPS projectiles have a diameter of 2-3 cm and a length of 50-60 cm. To maximize the specific pressure and kinetic energy of the projectile, high-density materials are used in the manufacture of ammunition - tungsten carbide or an alloy based on depleted uranium. The muzzle velocity of the BOPS is up to 1900 m/s.
Concrete-piercing shells
A concrete-piercing shell is an artillery shell designed to destroy long-term fortifications and durable permanent buildings, as well as to destroy enemy personnel and military equipment hidden in them. Concrete-piercing shells were often used to destroy concrete bunkers.
From a design point of view, concrete-piercing shells occupy an intermediate position between armor-piercing chamber and high-explosive fragmentation shells. Compared to high-explosive fragmentation projectiles of the same caliber, with a similar destructive potential of the explosive charge, concrete-piercing ammunition has a more massive and durable body, allowing them to penetrate deeply into reinforced concrete, stone and brick barriers. Compared to armor-piercing chamber shells, concrete-piercing shells have more explosive material, but a less durable body, so concrete-piercing shells are inferior to them in armor penetration.
The G-530 concrete-piercing shell weighing 40 kg is included in the ammunition load of the KV-2 tank, the main purpose of which was the destruction of bunkers and other fortifications.
HEAT shells
Rotating cumulative projectiles
Design of a cumulative projectile:
1 - fairing
2 - air cavity
3 - metal cladding
4 - detonator
5 - explosive
6 - piezoelectric fuse
The cumulative projectile (HEAT - High-Explosive Anti-Tank) is significantly different in principle from kinetic ammunition, which includes conventional armor-piercing and sub-caliber projectiles. It is a thin-walled steel projectile filled with a powerful explosive - hexogen, or a mixture of TNT and hexogen. At the front of the projectile in the explosive there is a glass-shaped or cone-shaped recess lined with metal (usually copper) - a focusing funnel. The projectile has a sensitive head fuse.
When a projectile collides with armor, an explosive is detonated. Due to the presence of a focusing funnel in the projectile, part of the explosion energy is concentrated at one small point, forming a thin cumulative jet consisting of the metal lining of that same funnel and explosion products. The cumulative jet flies forward at enormous speed (approximately 5,000 - 10,000 m/s) and passes through the armor due to the monstrous pressure it creates (like a needle through oil), under the influence of which any metal enters a state of superfluidity or, in other words, leads itself like a liquid. The damaging effect behind the armor is provided both by the cumulative jet itself and by the hot drops of pierced armor squeezed inside.
The most important advantage of a cumulative projectile is that its armor penetration does not depend on the speed of the projectile and is the same at all distances. That is why cumulative shells were used on howitzers, since conventional armor-piercing shells for them would be ineffective due to their low flight speed. But the cumulative shells of World War II also had significant drawbacks that limited their use. Rotation of the projectile at high initial speeds made it difficult to form a cumulative jet; as a result, cumulative projectiles had a low initial speed, small sighting range firing and high dispersion, which was also facilitated by the non-optimal shape of the projectile head from an aerodynamic point of view. The manufacturing technology of these projectiles at that time was not sufficiently developed, so their armor penetration was relatively low (approximately the same as the caliber of the projectile or slightly higher) and was unstable.
Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectiles
Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectiles (HEAT-FS - High-Explosive Anti-Tank Fin-Stabilised) are further development cumulative ammunition. Unlike early cumulative projectiles, they are stabilized in flight not by rotation, but by folding tails. The absence of rotation improves the formation of a cumulative jet and significantly increases armor penetration, while removing all restrictions on the projectile's flight speed, which can exceed 1000 m/s. Thus, early cumulative shells had a typical armor penetration of 1-1.5 calibers, while post-war ones had 4 or more. However, feathered projectiles have a slightly lower armor effect compared to conventional cumulative projectiles.
Fragmentation and high-explosive shells
High-explosive fragmentation shells
A high-explosive fragmentation projectile (HE - High-Explosive) is a thin-walled steel or cast iron projectile filled with an explosive (usually TNT or ammonite), with a head fuse. When the projectile hits the target, it immediately explodes, hitting the target with fragments and a blast wave. Compared to concrete-piercing and armor-piercing chamber shells, high-explosive fragmentation shells have very thin walls, but have more explosive.
The main purpose of high-explosive fragmentation shells is to defeat enemy personnel, as well as unarmored and lightly armored vehicles. High-explosive fragmentation shells large caliber can be very effectively used to destroy lightly armored tanks and self-propelled guns, since they break through relatively thin armor and incapacitate the crew with the force of the explosion. Tanks and self-propelled guns with shell-resistant armor are resistant to high-explosive fragmentation shells. However, even them can be hit by large-caliber shells: the explosion destroys the tracks, damages the gun barrel, jams the turret, and the crew is injured and concussed.
Shrapnel shells
The shrapnel projectile is a cylindrical body divided by a partition (diaphragm) into 2 compartments. An explosive charge is placed in the bottom compartment, and spherical bullets are located in the other compartment. A tube filled with a slow-burning pyrotechnic composition runs along the axis of the projectile.
The main purpose of a shrapnel projectile is to defeat enemy personnel. This happens as follows. At the moment of firing, the composition in the tube ignites. Gradually it burns and transfers the fire to the explosive charge. The charge ignites and explodes, squeezing out the partition with bullets. The head of the projectile comes off and the bullets fly out along the axis of the projectile, deflecting slightly to the sides and hitting enemy infantry.
In the absence of armor-piercing shells in the early stages of the war, artillerymen often used shrapnel shells with a tube set “to strike.” In terms of its qualities, such a projectile occupied an intermediate position between high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing, which is reflected in the game.
Armor-piercing high-explosive shells
Armor-piercing high-explosive projectile (HESH - High Explosive Squash Head) is a post-war type of anti-tank projectile, the principle of which is based on the detonation of a plastic explosive on the surface of the armor, which causes fragments of armor to break off on the rear side and damage the fighting compartment of the vehicle. An armor-piercing high-explosive projectile has a body with relatively thin walls designed for plastic deformation when encountering an obstacle, as well as a bottom fuse. The charge of an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile consists of a plastic explosive that “spreads” over the surface of the armor when the projectile encounters an obstacle.
After “spreading,” the charge is detonated by a delayed-action bottom fuse, which causes destruction of the rear surface of the armor and the formation of spalls that can damage the internal equipment of the vehicle or crew members. In some cases, through penetration of the armor may occur in the form of a puncture, break or knocked out plug. The penetration ability of an armor-piercing high-explosive projectile depends less on the angle of inclination of the armor compared to conventional armor-piercing projectiles.
ATGM Malyutka (1st generation)
Shillelagh ATGM (2nd generation)
Anti-tank guided missiles
Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) is a guided missile designed to destroy tanks and other armored targets. The former name of the ATGM was “anti-tank guided missile" ATGMs in the game are solid-fuel missiles equipped with on-board control systems (operating according to operator commands) and flight stabilization, devices for receiving and deciphering control signals received via wires (or via infrared or radio command control channels). Warhead cumulative, with armor penetration 400-600 mm. The missiles' flight speed is only 150-323 m/s, but the target can be successfully hit at a distance of up to 3 kilometers.
The game features ATGMs of two generations:
- First generation (manual command guidance system)- in reality they are controlled manually by the operator using a joystick, English. MCLOS. In realistic and simulator modes, these missiles are controlled using the WSAD keys.
- Second generation (semi-automatic command guidance system)- in reality and in all game modes they are controlled by pointing the sight at the target, English. SACLOS. The game's sight serves as either the center of the optical sight's crosshairs or a large white round marker (reload indicator) in a third-person view.
In arcade mode, there is no difference between generations of missiles; they are all controlled using a sight, like second-generation missiles.
ATGMs are also distinguished by their launch method.
- 1) Launched from a tank barrel. To do this, you need either a smooth barrel: an example is the smooth barrel of the 125-mm gun of the T-64 tank. Or a keyway is made in the rifled barrel into which the 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-mounted (for example, like the IT-1 tank destroyer with the 2K4 Dragon ATGM).
As a rule, the more modern and the larger the caliber of the ATGM, the more it penetrates. ATGMs were constantly being improved - manufacturing technology, materials science, and explosives were improved. Combined armor and dynamic protection can completely or partially neutralize the penetrating effect of ATGMs (as well as cumulative projectiles). As well as special anti-cumulative armor screens located at some distance from the main armor.
Appearance and design of projectiles
Denormalization phenomenon that increases the path of a projectile in armor
Starting from game version 1.49, the effect of projectiles on inclined armor has been redesigned. Now the value of the reduced armor thickness (armor thickness ÷ cosine of the angle of inclination) is valid only for calculating the penetration of cumulative projectiles. For armor-piercing and especially sub-caliber projectiles, penetration of inclined armor was significantly weakened due to taking into account the denormalization effect, when a short projectile turns around during the penetration process, and its path in the armor increases.
Thus, with an armor tilt angle of 60°, previously the penetration of all projectiles dropped by approximately 2 times. Now this is only true for cumulative and armor-piercing high-explosive shells. In this case, penetration of armor-piercing shells drops by 2.3-2.9 times, for conventional sub-caliber shells - by 3-4 times, and for sub-caliber shells with a separating pan (including BOPS) - by 2.5 times.
List of shells in order of deterioration of their performance on inclined armor:
- Cumulative And armor-piercing high-explosive- the most effective.
- Armor-piercing meathead And armor-piercing sharp-headed with armor-piercing tip.
- Armor-piercing sub-caliber with detachable tray And BOPS.
- Armor-piercing sharphead And shrapnel.
- Armor-piercing sub-caliber- the most ineffective.
What stands out here is a high-explosive fragmentation projectile, for which the probability of penetrating armor does not depend at all on its angle of inclination (provided that there is no ricochet).
Armor-piercing chamber shells
For such projectiles, the fuse is cocked at the moment of penetration of the armor and detonates the projectile after a certain time, which ensures a very high armor protection effect. The projectile parameters indicate two important values: 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 as a regular solid one, causing damage only to those modules that are in its path, or will simply fly through the target without causing damage. Therefore, when firing at unarmored targets, chamber shells are not very effective (as are all others, except high-explosive and shrapnel).
The fuze delay determines the time it takes for the projectile to explode after penetrating the armor. Too short a delay (in particular, for the Soviet MD-5 fuse) leads to the fact that when it hits an attached element of the tank (screen, track, chassis, caterpillar), the projectile explodes almost immediately and does not have time to penetrate the armor. Therefore, when firing at shielded tanks, it is better not to use such shells. Too much delay in the fuse can result in the projectile going right through and exploding outside the tank (although such cases are very rare).
If a chamber shell is detonated in the fuel tank or in the ammunition rack, then there is a high probability of an explosion 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. The general rule is that it is optimal to use blunt-headed shells against enemies with sloped armor, and sharp-headed shells - if the armor is not sloped. However, the difference in armor penetration between both types is not very large.
The presence of armor-piercing and/or ballistic caps significantly improves the properties of the projectile.
Sub-caliber shells
This type of projectile is characterized by high armor penetration at short distances and very high speed flight, making it easier to shoot at moving targets.
However, when the armor is penetrated, only a thin carbide rod appears in the space behind the armor, which causes damage only to those modules and crew members that it hits (unlike an armor-piercing chamber projectile, which covers the entire fighting compartment with fragments). Therefore, to effectively destroy a tank with a sub-caliber projectile, you should shoot at its vulnerable places: engine, ammunition rack, fuel tanks. But even in this case, one hit may not be enough to disable the tank. If you shoot at random (especially at the same point), you may need to fire many shots to disable the tank, and the enemy may get ahead of you.
Another problem with sub-caliber projectiles is the severe loss of armor penetration with distance due to their low mass. Studying armor penetration tables shows at what distance you need to switch to a regular armor-piercing projectile, which, in addition, has a much greater lethality.
HEAT shells
The armor penetration of these shells does not depend on distance, which allows them to be used with equal effectiveness for both close and long-range combat. However, due to the design features, cumulative projectiles often have a lower flight speed than other types, as a result of which the shot trajectory becomes hinged, accuracy suffers, and it becomes very difficult to hit moving targets (especially at a long distance).
The principle of operation of a cumulative projectile also determines its not very high destructive power compared to an armor-piercing chamber projectile: the cumulative jet flies over a limited distance inside the tank and causes damage only to those components and crew members that it directly hit. Therefore, when using a cumulative projectile, you should aim just as carefully as in the case of a sub-caliber projectile.
If a cumulative projectile hits not the armor, but an attached element of the tank (screen, track, caterpillar, chassis), then it will explode on this element, and the armor penetration of the cumulative jet will significantly decrease (every centimeter of the jet’s flight in the air reduces the armor penetration by 1 mm) . Therefore, other types of shells should be used against tanks with screens, and one should not hope to penetrate the armor with cumulative shells by shooting at the tracks, chassis and gun mantlet. Remember that premature detonation of a shell can cause any obstacle - a fence, a tree, any building.
Cumulative shells in life and in the game have a high-explosive effect, that is, they also work as high-explosive fragmentation shells of reduced power (a lightweight body produces fewer fragments). Thus, large-caliber cumulative shells can be quite successfully used instead of high-explosive fragmentation shells when firing at weakly armored vehicles.
High-explosive fragmentation shells
The lethality of these shells depends on the relationship between the caliber of your gun and the armor of your target. Thus, shells with a caliber of 50 mm and less are effective only against airplanes and trucks, 75-85 mm - against light tanks with bulletproof armor, 122 mm - against medium tanks, such as the T-34, 152 mm - against all tanks, with the exception of shooting head-on at the most armored vehicles.
However, we must remember that the damage caused significantly depends on the specific point of impact, so there are often cases when even a 122-152 mm caliber projectile causes very minor damage. And in the case of guns with a smaller caliber, in doubtful cases, it is better to use an armor-piercing chamber or shrapnel projectile, which have greater penetration and high lethality.
Shells - part 2
What's better to shoot? Review of tank shells from _Omero_
Armor-piercing sharp-headed chamber projectile
Sharp-headed projectile with armor-piercing tip
Sharp-headed projectile with armor-piercing tip and ballistic cap
Armor-piercing blunt-nosed projectile with ballistic cap
Sub-caliber projectile
Sub-caliber projectile with detachable tray
HEAT projectile
Non-rotating (feathered) cumulative projectile
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