From: jdd@aiki.demon.co.uk (Jim Dixon)
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 94 11:52:17 PDT
To: m5@vail.tivoli.com
Subject: Re: Nuclear Weapons Material
Message-ID: <7857@aiki.demon.co.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


In message <9408251708.AA04970@vail.tivoli.com> Mike McNally writes:
> Mike Duvos writes:
>  >                                          The idea is that the
>  > uranium penetrates the armor and the charge then explodes once
>  > the round is inside.
> 
> I don't know much about modern munitions, but I do know that armor
> piercing rounds may have no charge in them at all.

Most do.  RPGs, for example, definitely do.  As I recall, a shaped
charge punches a tiny hole through the armor and then injects a
blob or jet of liquified metal into the vehicle.  It's much worse
than a ricochet.

The explosion occurs outside the tank, driving the jet of metal in.

Armor piercing artillery rounds are called HEAT (High Explosive Anti-
Tank).	The name says it all.
--
Jim Dixon