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Tank striking power: Why can smoothbore guns fire more powerful armor-piercing shells?
With the advancement of technology, main battle tanks on the battlefield are facing increasingly thicker armor. In order to effectively counter these modern armors, the core weapon of tank guns - armor-piercing shells - must continue to evolve. In particular, the energy of armor penetration depends not only on the medicinal materials used, but also on many factors such as the design of the ammunition, the firing technology and the design of the gun barrel. In particular, smoothbore guns have shown unparalleled advantages in firing armor-piercing projectiles, all of which are closely related to the progress of modern armor-piercing projectile design.
The key to armor penetration is increased kinetic energy, which means longer armor-piercing shells with higher initial velocities.
Evolution of armor-piercing projectiles
Early armor-piercing designs, such as the Armor Piercing Skimmed Darts (APDS), no longer meet the needs of today's battlefield. Advances in automotive propulsion and suspension systems have allowed modern main battle tanks to carry increasingly heavier armor, necessitating longer armor-piercing rounds. The long rod armor-piercing projectile (APFSDS), with its high initial velocity and excellent penetration ability, has become the best solution for modern armor.
Design Principles
Modern KE armor-piercing rounds are typically 2 to 3 centimeters in diameter and can be up to 80 centimeters long. Such a design not only focuses on increasing density to concentrate kinetic energy for deep penetration, but also must take into account the stability of the ammunition in flight during the design process. Traditional spinning designs reduce stability as the length of the ammunition increases, so modern armor-piercing projectiles are often equipped with stabilizing fins, which significantly improves flight accuracy.
In the design of APFSDS ammunition, excessive rotation will increase air resistance and lead to a decrease in initial velocity, so the choice of smoothbore gun reflects the best practices of current weapons technology.
Controversy over material selection
The choice of materials for armor-piercing bullets has also caused considerable controversy. Although uranium alloys and tungsten alloys are both commonly used materials for current armor-piercing projectiles, their properties are significantly different. Uranium alloys are favored for their self-ignition properties, which allow them to cause a secondary explosion after striking a target, while tungsten alloys are favored for their high hardness and strength. Although the adoption of uranium has sparked environmental and humanitarian controversy, some countries still prefer to use it due to its lower cost.
Advantages of smoothbore gunsFamous examples of using uranium alloys make them the best choice in certain situations, but raise significant environmental and health concerns.
Compared to traditional rifled guns, smoothbore guns provide a higher barrel velocity when firing APFSDS ammunition, thereby improving the armor-piercing capability of the ammunition. Under high pressure conditions, a special deceleration ring designed for smooth bores can effectively reduce the rotation rate of the ammunition, making it more suitable for armor-piercing projectiles up to 80 cm in length. This is difficult to achieve with traditional rifled guns.
Challenges Ahead
With the continuous advancement of armor technology, future armor-piercing projectiles will face greater challenges. From the selection of design and materials to the improvement of overall combat performance, all are the focus of military research and development. How to seek more effective solutions within the current technological framework will become the core research direction of the military industries of various countries.
In this rapidly changing military environment, technological advances may be able to change the form of warfare, so what new challenges will future armored breakthroughs inevitably face?
