Medium caliber for armored vehicles
September 23, 2014 Print


12.7 mm / .50 caliber cartridges are standard for most large-caliber machine guns, and widespread use of this caliber means that it is subject to technological improvements

Development of ammunition from the 12.7-mm rounds to 20/30 mm cannon shells has led to an increase in fire power and mortality across the spectrum of medium-caliber ammunition.

Changes in the requirements for medium caliber ammunition in recent years have been more evolutionary than revolutionary, but the general has always been to achieve a better mortality. Improvements in this class of ammunition means that light armored cars can be installed instead of weapons of smaller caliber main gun of a larger caliber, and, thus, they can achieve a significant kinetic impact while maintaining high levels of mobility.


For example, the British forces are looking at maybe 40-mm automatic grenade launcher with a view to their installation on armored Jackal in Afghanistan, as in the army were delighted with the performance of the system, installed on the personal weapon of infantry in the under-barrel configuration.

Parallel goals

For armored vehicles mortality remains critical due to the rapid increase of efficiency of armor protection, thus killing power, the availability of modern armored vehicles also should be increased in proportion.

"What was once considered the main armament of the tank, can be seen today on the BMP," - said the manager to work with clients in a company that produces ammunition Rheinmetall Defence, Moritz Fischer.

"By combining the optimum combination of ammunition modern IFVs can deal with any threat on the battlefield and become a real factor in increasing the combat readiness."
The company carries out the so-called annual day of medium caliber for the purpose of displaying their weapons systems and ammunition in the field. This time at the site in the Swiss Oksenbodene in mid-2013 were demonstrated capabilities automatic 30mm cannon Mk 32. Boxer armored vehicle with mounted tower Rheinmetall Lance led the fire of this gun ammunition air blasting on the appropriate target.


Boxer 8x8 armored personnel carriers with mounted tower Lancer shot from a cannon MK30-2 ABM 30mm armor-piercing projectiles KETF from Rheinmetall


30-mm projectile air blasting from ATK can hit aerial targets or goals for shelters

Another manufacturer of ammunition, the American company ATK, also specializes in the development of this caliber. It produces ammunition caliber 20, 25, 30 mm, as well as "light" 30-mm projectiles.

A company representative ATK Nick Ranallo agreed with Fisher that increase fire power is one of the major trends, which currently has influenced the development of ammunition. Armed forces around the world are seeking to increase caliber guns on their terrestrial platforms. In part this is also due to an increase in the effectiveness of the protection of potential targets.

Advanced modernization

In order to meet these requirements the company is expanding its range of ATK larger calibers, while improving performance of their current ammunition. It examines and modifies the explosives to increase the speed, accuracy and penetration, the projectile, as well as working on the design of the projectile in order to further improve the accuracy of placement of more powerful warhead and increased levels of the harmful effects, especially in terms of armor penetration.

Today, we see that most of the BMP comes with medium-caliber guns, but "it was not the norm 25 years ago" - said Fisher.

He said the company Rheinmetall chose srednekalibernyh kinetic projectiles. It set a goal - to develop insensitive munitions that will not detonate and burn or even not respond to external factors: fire, kinetic impact or other impact. This means that they are safe to handle, store and use, even in a dramatically changing the operational space.

Another priority is the development of weapons of air blasting ABM. The French company Nexter Munitions considers such ammunition as "effective lever" for existing calibers. Vice President of Strategy Thierry Brady said Rockets ABM can be used to destroy targets both on the ground (especially goals behind cover), and in the air.

Meanwhile, the company ATK develops its capabilities in two priority areas: mechanical with low drag fuses and ABM. Ranallo said that the company will announce the first foreign order for your shell MK310 ABM, which has been developed for automatic gun MK44 Bushmaster. However, he did not dwell on this, but confirmed that the order is valid for 30 mm ammunition ATK ABM, which are designed for guns MK44, installed on the machine Thales Bushmaster one of the European countries. (Only the Netherlands and the UK are the operators protected machines Vushmaster.)


Installation of 40-mm cannons as CTAS on armored vehicles, such as BMP Warrior, would yield tremendous benefits, including significantly improved mortality

Limited work

Projectile air blasting ABM allows gun MK44 «destroy a huge number of targets with greater mortality compared with conventional ammunition," - said Ranallo.

The first order for the supply of MK310 provides ammunition in an amount only to "initial deployment." Military receive programmable ammunition with three modes: point detonation, point detonation delay or undermine the air.

The company Rheinmetall has developed a shell of air blasting AHEAD (Advanced Hit Efficiency and Destruction - improved efficiency hit and destruction) to counter air targets and kinetic projectile with time fuses KETF (Kinetic Energy Time Fuse) for ground targets. The first is a shell with a ready striking elements (tungsten cylinders), which act on the purpose of their kinetic energy.


35-mm projectile air blasting from the company Rheinmetall AHEAD


Family of ammunition AHEAD

Manufacturers are also keen to offer its customers a wide range of ammunition effects, which are suitable for different scenarios. These include not only kinetic, explosive shells or shells ABM, but non-lethal options that can be shot as a warning or be used as a non-kinetic means.

Managing the British Ministry of Defence (Capabilities Directorate) is interested in building a non-lethal capabilities that can be implemented within the existing systems of dismounted close combat. These include, for example, may include weapons, firing 40-mm rubber bullets, which is based on the existing police systems available on the commercial market.

Urban Environment

Other possible scenarios, such as military operations in urban areas, the number of which, moreover, is growing, also contributed to the fact that manufacturers now offer an entire family of shells, specially designed for fighting in built-up areas.

Ranallo said ammunition industry can work together to meet the specific requirements that can not match the products manufactured by a separate company. "We are developing partnerships around the world to fill our technological gaps and flaws of our partners", - he explained. - We can pick up and use each other's sentences, or at the local or international level in order to reduce the response time to customer comments and delivery times already modified products. "

Reliability and efficiency of fuses, which are a necessary component of many shells, also greatly increased in recent years.

Brady said the company Nexter Munitions develops mikropirotehniku ​​using the technology of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). "The purpose of this is to increase the warhead srednekalibernyh shells through miniaturization fuses while improving their functionality," - he said.

Fuses with a small drag from ATK, such as M758, the proposed increase in reaction time for the meeting with a view to long range, and they correspond to the increased requirements for impact fuses. This means that when the projectile hits a target, even under a small angle, the warhead is initiated in any case. Typically, a shell, wherein the fuze is not set low drag, is much more likely ricocheted purpose.

Rockets rebound

They are designed to respond to new reservations systems, which are now better designed for ricocheting shells arriving at non-perpendicular angles.

"This is a very important feature, when you look at the reliability of our polubroneboynyh explosive incendiary [SAPHEI]», - said Ranallo.


20-mm high-explosive incendiary projectile SAPHEI

Fuses with low drag can be used in a number of shells ATK, including a 20-mm high-explosive incendiary projectile ZAP, created to destroy unarmored and lightly armored targets, and is available in configurations «Super Quick» and «Delay» SAPHEI. Ranallo said that the ammunition ready for overseas markets.

Meanwhile, telescopic ammunition CTA (cased telescoped ammunition) is a more radical departure from tradition, potentially offering significant savings in weight and volume, which is very important for all armored vehicles.

Textron Systems Company of the United States has developed a telescopic ammunition for small arms within the program of the American army. However, at the forefront of srednekalibernyh ammunition is a joint venture between BAE Systems and Nexter CTA International (CTAI) from Europe.

System 40-mm telescopic ammunition Cased Telescoped Armament System (CTAS) from CTAI has significantly less weight compared to conventional systems of this caliber, but they equal efficiency. It offers a high level of armored vehicle fire power traditionally associated with srednekalibernym arms, in those cases where, as a rule, there is room for smaller caliber gun or guns of a larger caliber, but with lower performance.

In the gun used rotating breech for automatic feeding of shells of various types. The projectile is inside the sleeve and is surrounded by a propelling charge.


The family of 40-mm shells of CTAS


Cannon System CTAS exhibition Eurosatory 2014

Everything in the sleeve

Along with the British Ministry of Defence the French defense procurement management strongly supports the project CTAS. CTAI began work on the original British resolution, while the final requirements are fully coordinated by the British and French authorities.

CTAI company has already completed the first stage of the qualification process for this weapon system. Gun itself and its armor-piercing shells and practices have been approved by the French and the British authorities. The same long and difficult process to go through qualifying Universal projectile point detonation and ammunition air blasting.

CTAI has already delivered 16 guns and 25,000 rounds (13,000 for qualifying and 12,000 more for demonstration). Another 8,000 - 85,000 shells will be delivered by 2014 - 2015 the British Ministry of Defence for the process of integration with the machines of the British Army Warrior and Scout.

Meanwhile, France has confirmed its intention to establish this weapons system on your perspective armored wheeled vehicles EBRC.

French and British contracts mean that the backlog CTAI estimated at $ 137 million.

The head of international business at the company CTAI David Cutro said Rockets CTA more expensive compared to conventional shells, but their benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. "If you install the 40-mm gun on an armored vehicle similar to Warrior, it will provide a huge advantage, because mortality BMP will increase significantly."

New topics

Programmable ammunition, in particular caliber of 40 mm, this is another interesting direction in this area. British Ministry of Defense is studying the possibility of programmable ammunition in their conjunction with improved targeting system (digital optical sights), since the accuracy of the delivery of warhead in this case is significantly increased, especially for the purposes of in shelters.

In the United States by ATK and Heckler & Koch developed launcher XM25 CDTE (Counter Defilade Target Engagement - struggle with the goals of being in shelters). Using sighting system from L-3 Integrated Optical Systems, CDTE fires 25mm grenades that are undermined in the air near the goal. Using a laser rangefinder, thrower can choose the distance at which the grenade detonates.

The system has been tested by the American army and deployed to Afghanistan, but the funding was discontinued in June 2013, resulting in a full-scale production grenades CDTE and has not begun.

Other technological improvements include the possibility of an electrical fire in promising rounds of 12.7 mm or less, and the transition to lead-free ammunition in order to reduce environmental pollution shoot bullets.

Another area of ​​research concerns the increase in the so-called long range missiles invisible radiation or infrared light projectiles (including tracers); These developments will perform tactical maneuvering in zero visibility.

Practical ammunition

Being developed as in other areas, for example in order to reduce the cost of active development of new practices or training ammunition. The Swiss company RUAG invests a lot in research and development in the segment of medium-sized, focusing on practical cartridges melee.

The company offers a 12.7-mm cartridge Short Range for training camps that have limited space. When the actual range of a 800 meters, the bullet has poor aerodynamics, which quickly reduces the speed of a bullet. Also available version of the cartridge with a tracer.

Representative of the company RUAG reported that 12.7-mm cartridge HC SX Browning, consisting of a core of hardened steel with a brass collar, is "the most accurate armor-piercing bullets ranged." However, a practical cartridge SX 12.7mm Browning this company, identical in form of live ammunition HC SX, has a core of aluminum-zinc alloy, which reduces wear on the barrel, and it is very important for shooting ranges.

Fisher said that there are good prospects for medium-caliber ammunition because "they have a huge fire power and strength. Medium-caliber ammunition is more than any other type of ammunition (smaller or larger) allows you to get the right balance between all the weapon system, the mass of the projectile and its rate of fire. "

Materials are used:
www.shephardmedia.com
www.rheinmetall-defence.com
www.atk.com
www.cta-international.com
www.ruag.com
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Di banyak negara maju, produk senjata termasuk ammo dari berbagai ukuran, sudah menjadi kegiatan industri yg banyak menghasilkan uang+(plus).
Namun ada juga negara yg sepenuhnya mengandalkan pasokan dari luar, karena dihitung lebih murah, daripada membuat sendiri, yg jelas tidak perlu riset dan pengembangan, karena akan memerlukan biaya / anggaran yg lumayan besar, serta hasil produknya belum tentu bisa menjadi komoditi eksport yg signicant.
Oleh karenanya, faktor ketergantungan menjadi tinggi dan mengakibatkan kerawanan bilamana terjadi konflik.
Ini yg di sebut "buah simalakama" ; Dimakan Bapak mati, ndak di makan Ibu mati pulak.