What are armor piercing bullets made out of 2024?
I'll answer
Earn 20 gold coins for an accepted answer.20
Earn 20 gold coins for an accepted answer.
40more
40more
Elijah Price
Works at PayPal, Lives in San Jose, CA
Hello, I'm Colonel Harding, retired from the United States Army Ordnance Corps. I dedicated my career to understanding the intricacies of military hardware, particularly ammunition. The question of what constitutes an armor-piercing bullet is more nuanced than it seems, so let me elaborate.
Firstly, let's address the term "armor-piercing bullet." It's a bit of a misnomer. While the term is widely used, technically, we're talking about the projectile, the part of the cartridge that exits the barrel. The entire cartridge includes the case, primer, powder, and projectile.
Now, when we discuss armor-piercing projectiles, the critical factor isn't just material but design and intended effect. The goal is to defeat armor, but the mechanisms can vary.
Early armor-piercing projectiles:
In the early 20th century, increasing armor plating on vehicles and aircraft demanded projectiles capable of piercing them. This led to the development of projectiles with a hardened steel core. These early armor-piercing rounds typically used a steel jacket surrounding a core made of hardened steel or, later, tungsten carbide.
* Hardened steel: Offered improved penetration against lighter armor but wasn't effective against heavily armored targets.
* Tungsten carbide: Significantly harder than steel, offering superior penetration. It's still used in some armor-piercing ammunition today.
Modern armor-piercing projectiles:
As armor technology progressed, so did projectile design. Modern armor-piercing projectiles often use more sophisticated designs:
* Armor-Piercing (AP): Features a hardened steel core designed to penetrate armor using kinetic energy. These are less common now due to the development of more advanced rounds.
* Armor-Piercing Capped (APC): These projectiles build upon the AP design by adding a cap of softer metal, often copper or aluminum, over the hardened steel core. This cap helps improve the projectile's aerodynamics and prevent the hardened core from deforming upon impact, ensuring better penetration.
* **Armor-Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped (APCBC):** This design further refines the APC round. It features a ballistic cap over the armor-piercing cap, further improving its aerodynamic properties for longer ranges and flatter trajectories.
* Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS): This design employs a high-density, sub-caliber projectile made from materials like tungsten carbide or depleted uranium. The projectile is encased in a lightweight sabot that separates after leaving the barrel, allowing the smaller, denser projectile to strike the target with incredible velocity. APDS rounds are known for their high penetration capabilities.
* **Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS):** This is the current pinnacle of armor-piercing technology, primarily used in tank cannons. Like APDS, it uses a high-density, sub-caliber projectile and discarding sabot. However, APFSDS projectiles are fin-stabilized, providing superior accuracy and range compared to their predecessors.
Depleted Uranium:
A special mention goes to depleted uranium (DU). This dense, somewhat radioactive metal is used in some armor-piercing projectiles, particularly APFSDS rounds. DU's high density and pyrophoric nature (it ignites on impact) make it incredibly effective at penetrating armor. However, its use remains controversial due to potential health and environmental concerns.
In Conclusion:
Modern armor-piercing projectiles are more than just hardened bullets. They are sophisticated feats of engineering, utilizing specialized materials, aerodynamics, and kinetic energy principles to defeat armor. The evolution of these projectiles is a testament to the constant arms race between offensive and defensive technologies.
Firstly, let's address the term "armor-piercing bullet." It's a bit of a misnomer. While the term is widely used, technically, we're talking about the projectile, the part of the cartridge that exits the barrel. The entire cartridge includes the case, primer, powder, and projectile.
Now, when we discuss armor-piercing projectiles, the critical factor isn't just material but design and intended effect. The goal is to defeat armor, but the mechanisms can vary.
Early armor-piercing projectiles:
In the early 20th century, increasing armor plating on vehicles and aircraft demanded projectiles capable of piercing them. This led to the development of projectiles with a hardened steel core. These early armor-piercing rounds typically used a steel jacket surrounding a core made of hardened steel or, later, tungsten carbide.
* Hardened steel: Offered improved penetration against lighter armor but wasn't effective against heavily armored targets.
* Tungsten carbide: Significantly harder than steel, offering superior penetration. It's still used in some armor-piercing ammunition today.
Modern armor-piercing projectiles:
As armor technology progressed, so did projectile design. Modern armor-piercing projectiles often use more sophisticated designs:
* Armor-Piercing (AP): Features a hardened steel core designed to penetrate armor using kinetic energy. These are less common now due to the development of more advanced rounds.
* Armor-Piercing Capped (APC): These projectiles build upon the AP design by adding a cap of softer metal, often copper or aluminum, over the hardened steel core. This cap helps improve the projectile's aerodynamics and prevent the hardened core from deforming upon impact, ensuring better penetration.
* **Armor-Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped (APCBC):** This design further refines the APC round. It features a ballistic cap over the armor-piercing cap, further improving its aerodynamic properties for longer ranges and flatter trajectories.
* Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS): This design employs a high-density, sub-caliber projectile made from materials like tungsten carbide or depleted uranium. The projectile is encased in a lightweight sabot that separates after leaving the barrel, allowing the smaller, denser projectile to strike the target with incredible velocity. APDS rounds are known for their high penetration capabilities.
* **Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS):** This is the current pinnacle of armor-piercing technology, primarily used in tank cannons. Like APDS, it uses a high-density, sub-caliber projectile and discarding sabot. However, APFSDS projectiles are fin-stabilized, providing superior accuracy and range compared to their predecessors.
Depleted Uranium:
A special mention goes to depleted uranium (DU). This dense, somewhat radioactive metal is used in some armor-piercing projectiles, particularly APFSDS rounds. DU's high density and pyrophoric nature (it ignites on impact) make it incredibly effective at penetrating armor. However, its use remains controversial due to potential health and environmental concerns.
In Conclusion:
Modern armor-piercing projectiles are more than just hardened bullets. They are sophisticated feats of engineering, utilizing specialized materials, aerodynamics, and kinetic energy principles to defeat armor. The evolution of these projectiles is a testament to the constant arms race between offensive and defensive technologies.
2024-06-06 08:14:15
reply(1)
Helpful(1122)
Helpful
Helpful(2)
Studied at the University of Delhi, Lives in Delhi, India.
Armor-piercing rifle and pistol cartridges are usually built around a penetrator of hardened steel, tungsten, or tungsten carbide, and such cartridges are often called 'hard-core bullets'. Aircraft and tank rounds sometimes use a core of depleted uranium.
2023-04-10 15:37:32
Ava Miller
QuesHub.com delivers expert answers and knowledge to you.
Armor-piercing rifle and pistol cartridges are usually built around a penetrator of hardened steel, tungsten, or tungsten carbide, and such cartridges are often called 'hard-core bullets'. Aircraft and tank rounds sometimes use a core of depleted uranium.
