Armor: May 25, 2000

Archives

Oerlikon-Contraves of Switzerland is developing a 30mm version of its 35mm AHEAD round. This cannon shell (which can be fired from the Bushmaster-II or the 30mm Mauser cannon) contains 135 small tungsten projectiles. A fuze set on firing bursts the shell about 6m from the target, showering it with a lethal cone of projectiles. Such a round is lethal against infantry (it is heralded as the ultimate answer to the anti-tank missile team) but can also be devastating against armored vehicles and even tanks. While the tiny projectiles cannot penetrate armor of any real thickness, they will wreck just about everything else they hit (periscopes, vision blocks, searchlights, weapon sighting optics, missile launch tubes, missile guidance systems, smoke grenade launchers, etc.). In tests, no tank hit by two or three AHEAD rounds has remained functional due to the damage to these systems. One analyst has declared the AHEAD round "non-lethal ammunition for tanks". --Stephen V Cole 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   Contribute   Close