Path: spln!rex!lex!extra.newsguy.com!lotsanews.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-out.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!gemini.tycho.net.POSTED!not-for-mail From: gherbert@gw.retro.com (George William Herbert) Newsgroups: sci.military.moderated Subject: Re: Advanced tank main guns Date: 26 Nov 2001 21:27:30 -0800 Organization: Dis- Approved: sci-military-moderated@retro.com Message-ID: <9tv882$s0q$1@gw.retro.com> References: <035301c17628$94ba6ee0$0d01fe0a@fliway.com> <B8284EFF.E055%rkeeter@earthlink.net> Lines: 28 NNTP-Posting-Host: fb4ff844.newsreader.tycho.net X-Trace: 1006837895 gemini.tycho.net 79557 205.179.181.194 X-Complaints-To: abuse@tycho.net Xref: spln sci.military.moderated:40507 Bob Keeter <rkeeter@earthlink.net> wrote: >> Werent the germans developing a 'segmented long-rod penetrator'. >> I remember reading of it in Military Technology magazine (Monch Press). >> [description snipped] > >Cant thing of a single reason for "segmenting" the penetrator. As a matter >of fact, one of the "challenges" with designing these darts is to keep them >in one piece and straight when they impact the armor. Thats why they are as >thick as they are (even though that increases drag and slows them dawn at >the muzzle a bit. Remember KE = 1/2 M V^2. . . .same energy from the >burning powder, greater mass, much lower velocity! ) One reason is to overcome heavy reactive armor. It works by shearing and deflecting the penetrator rod. If the penetrator is segmented, the first segment gets deflected but the second continues on through after the ERA blast dissipates. >I think that what you MIGHT be mistaking is the "ringed" surface, sort of >like a lathe-turned chair leg put on the dart so that it will "grip" the >sabot better! That is likely. Most penetrators have a segment that looks like that, for exactly that reason... -george william herbert gherbert@retro.com