Ammunition Myth - Hyper-Velocity Ammunition Functioned by Creating Excess Energy
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Ammunition Myth - Hyper-Velocity Ammunition Functioned by Creating Excess Energy By Copyright ©2015, J.D. Neal, All Rights Reserved When developing tungsten-cored ammunition the U.S.A. assigned the acronym “HVAP” which stood for “Hyper/High Velocity Armor Piercing Ammunition”. The British began their program using the acronym SVDS which stood for “Super Velocity Discarding Sabot”. Eventually it was changed to APDS which stands for “Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot”. These rounds fired saboted projectiles containing a tungsten core at extremely high velocities. None other than the main author of “Ordnance Department; Planning Munitions for War CMH Pub 10-9” stated on page 372: Hardly had the new APC high-explosive ammunition reached the battlefields when the even more heavily armored Panther and Tiger tanks made their appearance. They could not be knocked out even by the 90-mm. M82 or the M62 APC provided for 3- inch and 76-mm. guns. This new threat called for a shell of radically different design. The Ordnance Department's answer was "HVAP." The principle underlying the effectiveness of HVAP—hypervelocity armor-piercing ammunition—was that the energy of a projectile is a function of the square of the velocity. Light-weight, hard- cored projectiles could attain hypervelocities, that is, from 3,000 to 4,000 or more feet per second, and thus have more than double the energy and hence penetrating power of those fired at ordinary velocities, which seldom exceeded 2,600 feet per second. The author of said statement never did any of the related math. If they had, they would not have made said statement, which more than one person has parroted as fact. It is not fact: just check the math. Tungsten is not in itself necessary for saboted ammunition. The French had developed one of the earliest implementations of modern saboted ammunition firing the 57-mm steel shot at 2,900 f/s from their 75-mm gun. In 1942 the USA Ordnance Department developed its own HVAP round using a 37-mm gun firing tungsten cores. Not only was tungsten a vital war material (and hence they were not allowed to produce any
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Ammunition Myth - Hyper-Velocity Ammunition Functioned by Creating Excess Energy. How it really works is different.
Transcript of Ammunition Myth - Hyper-Velocity Ammunition Functioned by Creating Excess Energy
Ammunition Myth - Hyper-Velocity Ammunition Functioned by Creating Excess EnergyBy Copyright 2!"# $%&% 'eal# All (ights (eser)ed*hen de)eloping tungsten-cored ammunition the +%,%A% assigned the acronym -HVA./ 0hich stood 1or -Hyper2High Velocity Armor .iercing Ammunition/%3he British began their program using the acronym ,V&, 0hich stood 1or -,uper Velocity &iscarding ,abot/% E)entually it 0as changed to A.&, 0hich stands 1or -Armor .iercing &iscarding ,abot/%3hese rounds 4red saboted pro5ectiles containing a tungsten core at extremely high )elocities% 'one other than the main author o1 -6rdnance &epartment7 .lanning Munitions 1or *ar CMH .ub !-8/ stated on page 9:2;Hardly had the new APC high-explosive ammunition reached thebattlefelds when the even more heavily armored Panther and Tiger tanksmade their appearance. They could not be knocked out even by the !-mm. "#$ or the "%$ APC provided &or '-inch and (%-mm. guns. This newthreat called &or a shell o& radically di)erent design. The *rdnance+epartment,s answer was -H.AP.- The principle underlying thee)ectiveness o& H.AP/hypervelocity armor-piercing ammunition/wasthat the energy o& a pro0ectile is a &unction o& the s1uare o& the velocity.2ight-weight3 hard-coredpro0ectilescouldattainhypervelocities3 that is3&rom '3!!! to 43!!! or more &eet per second3 and thus have more thandouble the energy and hence penetrating power o& those fred at ordinaryvelocities3 which seldom exceeded $3%!! &eet per second.3he author o1 said statement ne)er did any o1 the related math% 9 and !8>> they had them de)elop rounds 4ring modi4ed )ersions o1 the +,ABs o0n ":-mm MCD pro5ectile 1rom the :"-mm M9 gun#and :"-mm pac= ho0itEer%Both an HE shell and steel shot based on the :D-mm29-inch gun pro5ectiles 0as de)eloped as a saboted round 1or the !"-mm M9 ho0itEer% 3he !"-mm M9 ho0itEer 0as the light 0eight -airborne/ )ersion designed 1or paratroops and also used by the in1antry% @ 0as that it could 0ithstand impacts o)er 9# 12s much better than steel% Most steel shot o1 the era had to be excessi)ely heat treated to 0ithstand impacts at 9# to 9#2 1eet per second7 most 0as designed 1or )elocities o1 2#8 12s or less7 i1 it 0as too brittle it 0ould shatter an too malleable it 0ould de1orm against hea)y armor plate at excessi)e )elocities%6ne British D-pounder load 0as a D%9-pound steel pro5ectile at 2#8" 1eet persecond generating >2D 1oot tons o1 energy% 3he D-pounder A.&, round 4red a 9%! pound saboted shot at 9" 12s generating 28" 1oot tons o1 energy% 3he last the author loo=ed# 28" tons 0as less than >2D tons% Moreso A that is the 0eight o1 the complete sabot7 the actual penetrator 0eighed something li=e !%" pounds and 0ould only ha)e !>9 1oot tons A 1ar less than :8 1oot tons%3he !:-pounder gun 4red a !:-pound pro5ectile at 28" 12s 1or !#!>8 1oot tons energy% 3he :%8 penetrator 1or its A.&, round tra)elled at > 12s and generated 8C! 1oot tons o1 energy 0hile the tungsten penetrator had only >C> 1oottons energy 0hen it le1t the sabot% Again# the hyper-)elocity round generated HE,, energy than the standard steel shot%3he +, :D-mm HVA. round 4red much the same sabot at 2#D 12s; the complete sabot generated the :8 1oot tons o1 energy compared to the :C: 1oot tons o1 the !"-lb% A.C pro5ectile but the penetrator generated only 9" 1oot tons%'either the HVA. round nor the A.&, ?,V&,@ 0or=ed on a basis o1 ha)ing more energy than a steel round% 3hey 1unctioned 1rom a diFerent principle; allo0ing a higher 0eight to caliber ratio bac=ed up by a high )elocity%For example# a 9%89 pound 9"-millimeter shot 0ould ha)e a 0eight to bore ratio o1 9G ?9%89 2 ?!%9C I !%9C x !%9C 2 2@ J !%9!% Fired at > 1ps it has a )elocity ratio o1 2 ?> 22@% 3hus# potential penetration is 9"-mm x 9 x 2 J 2!mm7 at 9#> 12s the potential penetration 0ould be 9" x 9 x !%: J !:C-mm J :-inches%
