Thomas C. Theiner Profile picture
Feb 12, 2023 โ€ข 20 tweets โ€ข 8 min read โ€ข Read on X
I wanted to do a thread about operating mortars and a thread about tank ammunition... but can't, because before those two I have to do a thread ๐Ÿงตabout rifled and smoothbore barrels.

All NATO mortars (except for one) and all NATO 120mm tank guns (except for one) use
1/20
smoothbore barrels. This one mortar and this one tank use a rifled barrel, just like all NATO assault rifles, machine guns, auto cannons, recoilless rifles (photo: Carl Gustaf barrel), gatling guns, 105mm tank guns, howitzers, etc.

(Note: Shotguns use smoothbore barrels).
2/n Image
Why rifling? Well, you want the bullets, rounds, and projectiles to hit the intended target, therefore you have to stabilize them during flight. There are two ways to do that:

โ€ข rifled -> spin-stabilized
โ€ข smoothbore -> fin-stabilized

Fin-stabilized is obviously the much
3/n
more ancient way to stabilize a projectile during flight... but spin stabilization is actually more precise.

There is a ton of physics needed to explain this in detail... which isn't as much fun as watching NFL players throw perfect passes, because they spin the ball and not
4/n
as much fun explaining how artillery uses spin to smite the enemy.
This is the barrel of an M777 howitzer. The rifling isn't random - it's aligned to the ammunition that will be fired from this barrel. You want the projectile or bullet to fly through the air tip first, with
5/n Image
too much or too little spin the projectile will wobble and crash.
Spin rate also vastly differs between calibers - i.e. a 5.56mm M4 Carbine fired bullet will spin around 5,200 times per second, while a 155mm M777 howitzer fired projectile will spin about 250 times per second.
6/n
But not just the caliber, the weight and length of the projectile, the length of the barrel, the amount of propellant, etc. are used when calculating the twist rate of a barrel, because the barrel's grooves exert torque on the projectiles passing through the barrel & thus
7/n Image
impart a spin on the projectile's longitudinal axis, which stabilizes the projectiles longitudinally through conservation of angular momentum.

For smaller calibers, like NATO's bullets, the projectile's diameter is actually larger than most people know as the caliber is
8/n Image
actually the land diameter. I.e.

โ€ข NATO 5.56mm bullets are actually 5.70mm
โ€ข NATO 7.62mm bullets are actually 7.82mm

When the bullet is fired its jacket (usually copper) is deformed: this engages the rifling, which imparts the spin AND obturates the barrel to prevent the
9/n Image
propellant gas to blow by the bullet. Every bullet coming out of a barrel has distinct rifling grooves imparted by the barrel's rifling.

But what works with bullets you don't want to use for explosive filled projectiles... well, first because they are explosive filled and
10/n
you don't want them to be deformed.
Secondly having the entire body of a 155mm projectile engage the rifling would wear out the rifling in no time.
Thirdly scratches and grooves on the projectile will mess with its aerodynamics and when firing a shell 20+ km any deviation in
11/n
aerodynamics will result in missing the target.

Therefore explosive filled projectiles have a driving band (also called rotating band). That band is usually copper or copper alloys.
Some projectiles also have a obturating band made from plastic or nylon.
12/n Image
Smaller calibers, like i.e. the 30ร—173mm ammo for the A-10 Thunderbolt II's GAU-8/A Avenger cannon use plastic driving bands for obturation and to engage the rifling.

But artillery (and rifled tank cannons) use metal driving bands.
13/n ImageImage
Driving bands and obturators are protected by a cover during transport. Obviously you have to to remove that after you screwed in the fuze and before you fire the projectile.

14/n ImageImage
Once you're ready to fire the projectile is rammed into the cannon, past the charge chamber and into the barrel with the driving band wedged into the forcing cone between charge chamber and barrel.
You better ram the projectile hard into the cone or it will slide back out.
15/n
Once you fire the projectile the driving band will deform, seal the barrel and engage the rifling.

And your projectile is on its way - with the driving band cleary showing the grooves imparted by the barrel's rifling.
16/n Image
The spin also serves a second purpose: to ensure fuzes are not armed prematurely fuzes (especially point detonating) included a Setback Lock (Red) and a Spin Lock (Blue), which armed the fuze once certain acceleration and spin values were achieved.
I use past tense, as today
17/n Image
the mechanical locks are being replaced by MEMS chips.

And now to the M982 Excalibur precision guided munition, which as you can see, does not have a driving band.

There is a plastic obturating ring, which will engage the rifling, but in the Excalibur projectile only the
18/n Image
base bleed section spins... and at a very low rate, as once Excalibur reaches the apogee of its flight it deploys fins and glides to its target as a fin-stabilized projectile.
This video shows first a high explosive projectile & then two Excalibur projectiles in flight.
19/n
This was my (hopefully understandable) thread about rifled barrels and spin-stabilization.
Tomorrow we will hear a lot about smoothbore barrels and fin-stabilization, when I post my threads about mortars and tank guns.
20/20 Image

โ€ข โ€ข โ€ข

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
ใ€€

Keep Current with Thomas C. Theiner

Thomas C. Theiner Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @noclador

Feb 29
Air Force reductions in Europe 1989 - 2024
A look at ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ

Let's start with fighter bases in Germany:
โ€ข left 1989
โ€ข right 2024

1/
Image
Image
Fighters based in Germany in 1989:

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ 156ร— F-16C Falcon, 72ร— F-15C Eagle, 58ร— F-4 Phantom II = 286
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 96ร— Tornado, 32ร— Harrier GR.3, 32ร— Phantom FGR.2 = 160
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 312ร— Tornado, 224ร— F-4 Phantom II, 168ร— Alpha Jets = 704
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ 54ร— CF-18 Hornet

Total: 1,204 fighters
2/
Fighters based in Germany in 2024:

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ 24ร— F-16CJ/DJ (Block 50) Falcon
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 141ร— Eurofighter, 68ร— Tornado IDS, 21ร— Tornado ECR = 230 (-474)

Total: 254 fighters (-950 fighters vs. 1989)
3/
Read 25 tweets
Feb 22
#Transnistria asking putin to annex it to russia is insane.

The center of Tiraspol, the capital of this russian created fake state, is barely 10km from Ukraine... and there are 0 geographical obstacles between Ukraine and Transnistria.

The six Ukrainian brigades currently
1/4 Image
in the Odesa region (20,000+ battle hardened troops) outmatch the approximately 4,000 Transnistrian troops and 1,000 russian troops. And half of the Transnistrian troops are in the north, while half of the russians are on the other side of the Dniester in the city of Bender,
2/4
with just one bridge connecting Bender to the rest of Transnistria... not to mention that if Ukraine goes in, then so will Moldova and Romania, which will see the few Transnistrian troops attacked from ALL sides.
Ukraine has the easiest route to enter Transnistria: this image
3/4 Image
Read 4 tweets
Feb 19
Wrong. The British needed arms and ammo to withstand a German invasion in 1940.

Every British soldier in this photo is equipped with US "surplus war supplies", that Roosevelt allowed to be shipped to the UK on 1 June 1940. Included were: 900 field guns with half a million
1/4
Image
shells, 80,000 machine guns and half a million rifles with 125 million rounds. This allowed the UK to build up its forces after the defeat at Dunkirk.

Britain needed US materiel to survive the first two war years. Without this US help Hitler would have taken London.
2/4
If the US had refused to help the UK, US troops would have had to land on the beaches of England before Normandy... and at least 300,000 more Americans would have been killed.

Like Lindbergh Vance wants to hand a US ally over to fascists, without understanding that this will
3/4
Read 4 tweets
Feb 18
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ US Army material based or stored in depots in Europe in 1989 and what is left in 2024 in brackets:

Armor:
โ€ข M1A1 Abrams: 3,189 (0)
โ€ข M2 Bradley: 3,085 (0)

Artillery:
โ€ข (M109A3 & M110A2): 1,320 (M119: 12 & M777A2: 24)
โ€ข M270 MLRS: 288 (32)

1/4 Image
Helicopters:
โ€ข Attack (AH-1F & AH-64): 572 (AH-64E: 24)
โ€ข Scout (OH-58C & OH-58D): 597 (0)

US Air Force fighters based in Europe in 1989:
โ€ข A-10 Thunderbolt: 144
โ€ข F-4G Phantom II: 58
โ€ข F-15C Eagle: 96
โ€ข F-16C Falcon: 244
โ€ข F-111E/F Aardvark: 186

Total: 728 fighter.
2/4 Image
And the number of US Air Force fighters based in Europe in 2024:

โ€ข F-16CM/DM Block 40: 48
โ€ข F-16CJ/DJ Block 50: 24
โ€ข F-15E Strike Eagle: 48
โ€ข F-35A Lightning II: 48

Total: 168 fighter.

For the US it is much cheaper to have troops in Europe and deter russia now, than to
3/4 Image
Read 4 tweets
Feb 18
Some examples of operational equipment reductions from 1989 to 2024:

Let's start with main battle tanks:
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 3,892 -> 248
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท 1,297 -> 200
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น 1,206 -> 200
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 855 -> 148
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ 750 -> 16
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช 660 -> 110
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ 330 -> 44
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช 296 -> 0
1/6 Image
Now artillery - first howitzers and in brackets multiple rocket launchers:

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 1,206 (352) -> 104 (32)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น 888 (18) -> 160 (18 + 18 ordered)
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช 822 -> 26
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท 608 (24) -> 96 (11)
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ 402 (18) -> 35 (20 ordered)
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 357 (24) -> 156 (~40)
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ 306 -> 19 (8 ordered)
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช 162 -> 14
2/6 Image
Major naval units: first destroyers, frigates and corvettes; with missile boats in [] & submarines ():

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช 15 [40] (24) -> 12 (6)
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น 20 + 1 cruiser [7] (8) -> 16 (8)
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 46 (32) -> 16 (10)
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ 16 (5) -> 6 (3)
๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช 2 + [12] (12) -> 7 (4)
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ 5 + [10] (5) -> 5
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช 4 -> 2
3/6 Image
Read 6 tweets
Feb 17
In 1989 the Italian Army fielded the following brigades:

โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Cadore"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Julia"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Orobica"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Taurinense"
โ€ข Alpine Brigade "Tridentina"
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Ariete"
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Centauro"
1/9 Image
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Mameli"
โ€ข Armored Brigade "Pozzuolo del Friuli"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Brescia"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Goito"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Gorizia"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Legnano"
2/9
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Mantova"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Pinerolo"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Trieste"
โ€ข Mechanized Brigade "Vittorio Veneto"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Acqui"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Aosta"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Cremona"
โ€ข Motorized Brigade "Friuli"
3/9
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(