Thomas C. Theiner Profile picture
Feb 15 โ€ข 12 tweets โ€ข 5 min read
A few hours ago I did a thread about tank ammo.
There were some questions and suggestions in the comments. Therefore I will do now a shortish "PS" thread to my earlier tank thread ๐Ÿงต:

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If you have not yet read my earlier thread - I suggest you do so now, before continuing with this thread.

2/n
Yes, besides HESH, HEAT, APFSDS other tank rounds exist: like smoke, High Explosive Anti-Personnel, High Explosive Obstacle Breaching, Cannister, etc.

Cannister (shown in the video) turns the tank into a giant shotgun that shreds infantry that came too close to the tank.
3/n
Most of these rounds are being replaced by Advanced Multi Purpose rounds, which combine HEAT, Obstacle Breaching, and Anti-Personnel capabilities in one programmable round.

With the American M1147 AMP in this video being the most efficient and deadly of these new rounds.
4/n
Modern tank rounds consist of a propellant filled cartridge with a central primer flash tube that ignites the propellant. The projectile sits on top of the cartridge (with the fins of some projectiles embedded in the propellant).

It's in principle a giant bullet.
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Leopard 1 and compatible 105mm rifled guns use a metal cartridge that is automatically ejected after firing.

This is the same cartridge/projectile combination as in NATO 105mm howitzers like the L119 or M119.
6/n
120mm smoothbore rounds use a combustible cartridge case made from cellulose, nitrocellulose and resins.

After firing only the metal base case with the primer flash tube remains and is ejected from the gun.

7/n ImageImage
Due to this and better propellants 120mm rounds are similar in weight to 105mm rounds... but with much more punch.

In this video of a M1A2 Abrams firing a HEAT training round you can see the base case being ejected at the end.
8/n
The British Army's 120mm rifled guns use a different system: first projectile and charge are loaded. Once the breech is closed a primer (called Vent Tube) is loaded automatically into a chamber within the breach block. The Vent Tube then ignites the charge.
9/n
The round shape on tank barrels is the bore evacuator, which just by its design (without any mechanical parts) removes fumes and gasses from the tank barrel after firing.

10/n Image
The only Western tank without a bore evacuator is the French Leclerc. The Leclerc uses an autoloader and overpressure in the autoloader compartment to force gases and fumes out of the barrel.
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There are tons of other aspects of tank design that are amazing, like gun stabilization, thermal sleeve of the barrel, tank optics and thermal cameras, the fire control systems, etc. etc.
But I will do Anti-tank guided missiles and mortar threads next
12/end Image

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More from @noclador

Feb 15
A little game: I post a photo of a firing tank and you guess what round has been fired. The solution will be in the next tweet of this thread.

Something easy to start with:
1/9
1st photo shows a K2 Black Panther firing a HEAT round. You can see that the protruding tip with the trigger.

This is a bit more difficult.
2/n
2nd photo shows a M1A2 Abrams firing a APFSDS training round - you can see the blue streaks of the discarded sabots.

Very difficult now.
3/n
Read 9 tweets
Feb 15
Tank ammo thread ๐Ÿงต:
All current Western tanks (except for Challenger 2) use 120mm smoothbore tank guns:

120mm/ L44 cannon:
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Leopard 2 (up to A5)
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ M1A1, M1A2 Abrams
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท K1A1, K1A2
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Type 90, Type 10
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Ariete
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Merkava III, Merkava IV

120mm/ L52 cannon:
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท Leclerc
1/28 ImageImageImageImage
120mm/ L55 cannon:
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Leopard 2 (since A6)
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท K2 Black Panther
๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Altay
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง Challenger 3

Older Western tanks (i.e. Leopard 1, M60 Patton, K1, Merkava I/II) use rifled 105mm cannons, as do current Western fire support vehicles (Centauro, M1128 MGS, Type 16, Griffin II).
2/n ImageImageImageImage
The only outliers to this rule (older tanks use 105mm rifled - modern tanks use 120mm smoothbore) are the British Army's Chieftain (left), Challenger 1, and Challenger 2 (right) tanks, which use 120mm rifled guns.

Rifled guns spin-stabilize projectiles, while smoothbore guns
3/n ImageImage
Read 29 tweets
Feb 14
The problem with artillery ammo production is that you have to manufacture perfectly identical shells to ensure firing them is safe.

If the shell is too thick it will get stuck in the barrel, if it is too thin the gases will blow by it and the shell will fall short, if the
1/6 Image
shell's wand is uneven it will tumble and crash. And once you have perfect shells, you need to pour in the molten TNT (or Composite B or IMX-101)... and the shell must be perfectly and evenly filled or it will wobble in flight and crash.
And before you can pour the explosive
2/n Image
another factory needs to produce it. Usually the explosive factory also produces the charges, which you need to actually fire the shell... and these too need to be perfectly precise. If the charges are not all identical the shell will overshoot the target or fall short.
3/n Image
Read 6 tweets
Feb 12
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
Read 20 tweets
Feb 5
A thread about the best infantry fighting vehicle: the Swedish CV90.

Nine European countries (๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฐ) have bought the CV90 and others are now eyeing it as their future IFV (๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น).
1/25 Image
The reason NATO's big four military powers are eyeing/assessing/trialing the CV90 is that it is a mature design with every imaginable variant already existing.
The CV90 isn't the best armored IFV - the best armored is the German KF41 Lynx in this photo. And the CV90 isn't
2/n Image
the cheapest IFV - that would be the South Korean Redback in this photo.
The CV90 is, due to its many users, the most versatile armored vehicle in production now. Similar to the Leopard 2 tank and the F-16 fighter many users means that there is constant development and
3/n Image
Read 25 tweets
Jan 31
German submarines and frigates for Ukraine? Forget it.

1) On 27 February Turkey closed the Straits for warships. If you want a submarine or frigate for Ukraine to pass them, you will also reopen the Straits for russian warships - i.e. a the cruiser Varyag, which the russians
1/6 Image
tried for months to get into the Black Sea as replacement for the Moskva.
2) and if you get Turkey to reopen the Straits, the russians will know EXACTLY when the Ukrainian ship passes & will be waiting with a fleet and fighters on the Black Sea side = good bye Ukrainian ship.
2/n
3) yes, you can send ships over the Rhineโ€“Mainโ€“Danube Canal, if their draft is less than 4 meters and if they are not higher than 6 meters above the water line, or the first bridge will stop you... and you need Hungary (!) and Serbia (!!) to agree to let you use the Danube.
3/n
Read 6 tweets

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