Table of Contents
What happens when a round hits a tank?
A penetrating hit with a bursting-charge shell can cause additional damage comparable to a couple of hand grenades. The ammunition propellant inside the tank can go off, incinerating the crew (they might have a chance to bail out), the explosive matter in the ammunition shells might go off, tearing the crew to shreds.
What can tank armor stop?
Armoured fighting vehicles. The most heavily armoured vehicles today are the main battle tanks, which are the spearhead of the ground forces, and are designed to withstand anti-tank missiles, kinetic energy penetrators, NBC threats and in some tanks even steep-trajectory shells.
How do anti-tank shells work?
High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is a type of shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armour. The jet’s effect is purely kinetic in nature; the round has no explosive or incendiary effect on the target.
How do armor piercing incendiary rounds work?
The special effect is developed when the round strikes the target. The initial collision ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second (zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. The remaining element of the round is the tungsten carbide penetrator.
Is sloped armor still effective?
The T-34 had profound impact on German WWII tank design. Pre- or early war designs like the Panzer IV and Tiger differ clearly from post 1941 vehicles like for example the Panther, the Tiger II, the Jagdpanzer and the Hetzer, which all had sloped armour.
How do you shoot a tank in the rear?
At a 10 degree angle off the rear of the tank. Three rounds were fired into the turret, two on the sides and one in the rear, which made clean holes and started small fires. Two rounds were fired into the rear of the track, which was broken with these two rounds. Two rounds were fired into the rear of the tank, which started more fires.
How do depleted AP shells penetrate armor?
The type of ammunition used like depleted AP shells have a core that is meant to melt and punch through armor. Exposure to cooler air on the inside of armor causes a violent reaction and the massive pressure increase kills the crew. Though the most sure fire way to predict penetration, get closer to your target.
What are armor piercing rounds used for?
From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions. AP rounds smaller than 20 mm are intended for lightly-armored targets such as body armor, bulletproof glass and light armored vehicles.
What is the difference between ballistic and armor piercing shells?
Even though the ballistic and armor-piercing caps are identical, projectiles from different guns have a complex and different internal structure and are made of different high quality materials. Armour-piercing 3.7-cm-KwK and 5-cm-KwK (short) tank shells for the PzKpfw III.