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CONFIDENTIAL !

Technical Memorandum Report No* ORWB-TE¿~W

/i rtxC '-OSKD ARMAMETJT IiYSTElsfi FOR MKRÍÜM TANKS (u)

í
by

Sidney Jacobson

El .e Lu Barrieres

July 1959

FtoDAn lesearch and Engineering Laboratories

Ficatinny Arst a!

Dov^r^ Nu J0

Reviewed
Amrao Sec«»

Approved:
ùul^L
Acting Chiei/ Art Ammo l.at

CONFIDENTIAL
 CONFIDF.NTIAL

TABLE OF COKTMTS

Objective , , . 0 .

Summary,, » . B , v . ....

Cone lus ion s and Rtac-cm sudations . . .

Introduction . ... ...

Dlscussior . . o . . „ . .

References ... . ..

Figures 1-6. . . . . .

Distribution List . . .

CONFIDENTIAL
 mm CONFIDENTIAL

^ ’’ t\ '-'r .
ÒBJBCTiyS

■ ,>Y ihB obiaat i ■ tiiB itudy i» to ev»lu»te and propoea a tank

gm waapon ayatk ah:li l axhibite .t^ifioant improve«^ orar the
t Unities of 'ïje J', «ntly adopted 106BBB, Ï264 Gun.

SUMMAHY

Í system, is descrioed -4^4.¾-xoipor-t which is de1

( C ) ^ An armnier
signée to provide 1;. r ;reased firepower for existing medium tanks and
to provide a we&porjl system for future generation tanks* The system
consists of a lOöra.1,) smoothbore gun designed to minimize turret in-
crus ion and gun ie¡ ?;th. It fires a discarding sabot kinetic energy
projectile cape.ble \ 'f penetrating in excess of five of
armor plate at ¡I bliquity at a range of 2000 yards or six çê-j"*
inches at 60° at ri\ iges up to 500 yards. The ammunition complement
of this system wilj include HEATj HR and YTP Cartridges. *
(r-

CONFIDÜNTIAL
 ,u«.Ä ...
'vf'ï

CONFIDENTIAL

CONCLUSIONS AND HECOUMENDATIONS

(C) 1 A tank gun-ammunition, ayatam la propoaad which ia

Buperioi* In rmor panatratlon capability to any exiatiug tank gun

(C) 2 Tho design of the gun provides for the anal lest turret
intrusion o.’ '.my gun in tie medium tank class and consequently permits
a saving in urret site and weight.

(C) 3. The proposed gun system is adaptable to the recently

etmnd^rditer a60 Tank offering Iroreased weapon effectiveness«

(o) 4, All anmunition types proposed are presently being test

fired or war recently suspended while in an advanced state of develop«
mente

(C) 5. It is recommended that a prototype gun be desigied, fabri

cated and te cod.

(C) 6. It is recommended thut further studies be undertaken by

tiie respnnsil • agencies to adapt the proposed system to existent or
future genan cion tanks.

CONFIDENTIAL

¿ijb - * rstúf'*'*-

--:,1
 CONFIDENTIAL

INTRODUCTION

(G) i. During October ^nd November 1968, a series of exhat «tive

comparative teste were conducted at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Mar lend
for the purpose of determining the most suitable gun system for the
XM-SO Tank. The result of these tests was a recommendation tha "the
105mm, X16E8 Gun be considered the most suitable of the candida io types
considered for the XJÍ-60 Tank" (Ref. 1, Pg 37).

(C) The following gun-ammunition systems were evaluated in these

comparative testes

TABLE I

Armament Systems Evaluated at aPG During Oct - Nov 1958

Gun Ammunition
Caliber Designation Designation
܌1
120mm 1468 HEAT T153E13
120am T123 HEAT T153E13
120mat 1Í68 AP-T 14358E1
120mm T123 AP-T M358E1
106mm X15E8 APDS-T
105mm T254 APDS-T
90mm T208E9 APF3DS-T
90mm T320E82
1441 HEAT T300E63
(C) 2. The smoothbore 90mm T208 Gun - T320 APFSDS "Arroir" system
terminal ballistic characteristics superior to the recommended
SfSre^wy?£T¿<hreVer 0ther íoú6ide'-Uoas 8uoh aB the accuracy penalty
incurred by the high gun wear rate weighed heavily against the choice of
" purpose of this report to present a gun system
B^£hh«íly ®Ip—i~“-^ ^asr-d§i8ating potential of the arrow-type
smoothbore gun-projectile system, while eliminating its objectionable
aspects•

CONFIDENTIAL

. .•'—:
 - kj ~ S@ï

CONFIDENTIAL

DISCUSSION

(C) 1. In light of the rseulti of th* ooi»p*r*tiT« taitlng p«r

formed at Aberdeen Proving Qround, the need for an aroament eyaten
which retaine the good featuree of the 105mm, X16E8 Gun and yet is
capable of defeating more armor is clearly evident. The cystem pro-
pofaa ^r^Port u designed tc incorporate dieoardinf ijgggjmd
HEAT aanuuiition of minimum sice and weight for ease of handling and
rapid leading to minimice time to hit. The gun for thi* systam ie
designed to have a penetration capability greater than the recently
adopted 105mm T254 Gun while the turret intruc ion and consequent
necessary size of turret is reduced. A comparison of the proposed
system to various existing tank gun systems is shown in Tfcblo II.

TABLE II
Physical Characteristics of Various Medium Tank Gun Systems

Caliber Weight Length C.G. from rear face

Designation
_( ^) (lbs) .11¾. _of Breach
XM- (proposed) 105 5012 233.2 43.0
T254E2 (U.S. V’ 105 2492 216.50 62.9
sion of
X15B8)

T210 105 4315 312.30 75.1

T208 90 3265 276.38 6B.6
M41, M38 90 26¿0 193.4 65.'j

Eun wari P!rameter# ^ b® fi^ in the design of the

° y ^ ”"firyd *«ight for the di.oardSg sabot

puter to calculate Pressure vs. TraWW VSSSíí Äse^analog com-

». Of .douLu^TcVd
“°ä th?r,bir * ^11 ““P1*** Wurf, «n ÍLr.„.
g«r» f «-.<»0
.vood by th. aumuni+íon. Stia pr.Baur. yialded i b?
quireuent of 625 ou. in. basad L - ^ lded Ä chamber volume re-

aWt- Plí- 2) 11 ^o»-b.ly ÍÍ^Ll^T^bTÍ

CCMFIDENTIAL
 CONFIDENTIAL

The gun deaign for this proposed sys^eni ut-ili*. :s tha autofret^tsge uj&nu-
faoturiog toobniiiue and a gun B*teel with a 150^000 psi elastio limit to
aohieTO ft tuoe of miniruã weight and sisé# À representative breech
mechanism weight cf 1800 lbs was chosen from various existing breech
meohanisios of similar size*

(C) 3« The gun configuration which resulted from these oclculati' ns

offers a number of advantages. Of primary importance is a penetration
capability ooriSiderably better than any existing gun firing an APD3 round.
Second is the small turret Intrusion made possible by a center of gravity
location closer tr. wie breeoh than any of the guns compared in Table II.
Third, the detrimental effect of high erosion ratee common to high ve¬
locity guns is reduced by autofrettage# which hardens the bore surface
thereby reducing erosion# and by the elimination of the stoep forcing
corte which experienced the highest erosion rate in the smoothbore T208
and T210 Guns. Also# the delca-finned APFSilS Shot# described later in
the report# is not sensitive to erosion# resulting in a considerably
longer pin life than the smoothbore guns in which erosion vas a serious
problem«

(C) 4. The APFSDS round for fchis cyitern (Pig* 3) is based on a

projectile concept presently being tested in a supporting research
pt ojoot. This projectile has exhibited excellent potential in Viring
tests performed to date. The penetrator is essentially the same as
that of the 90/40mm# Ï320 ahd . the lO¿/4Qmty T¿46 Arrow pro jectiles #
But since the velocity regime of the prtvo3ûd'^systea is 100 fpa higher
than that of the QOma Arrcsr round, penetration potential of the new
round is estimated to be somewhat superior To that. demonstrated by
the latter.

(C) 6. This deltA-fianed round eliminates d4^1i^ent problems

of .Arrow, type ammunition in th^ee major areas. The most important"of
these is the detrimental effect on accuracy- incurred by the high wear
rate of the T208 sind T210 Guns. It has been established in firing tests
of the. Delta 'fiored shot that excelle^ obturation is obtained with this
round ,^o^tTpolnt where coiasldermble'l^s in obturation
is noted in an Arrcw type round (Fig. 4). 'therefore# even if a relatively
high wear rate were still present in the prn^osed design# Ihe effect of
this wear would be reduced and the useful life of a gun tube increased
considerably. Ho definite figure is available as to what gun life can
be expected with this round; results of firings to dat* indicate that
the life should be at least double that experienced with Arrow type
projectiles.

(C) C. The second of these *rsas is the problem of burning of

the fins and consequent loss in accuracy experienced during the Arrow
development program. The delta-fin design does not expose the fins to
the high temperature propellant gases At any time as does the Arrow.
Since obturation is at the pusher plate# the fin is protected from

CONFIPENTJAL
 CONFIDENTIAL
ï

those hot gtses. Also, > fia of the delta typ is epeoifloelly do*
slgaed for the hyp«r•onlq ili^ht.lPegiae, end will not be ma.ter lelly
affected by eerodynemio heating while in flight.

7» Ihs third superior aspect of this new design it its low

aerodynamic drag, ihe aerodynamic configuration of the projectile was
designed to yield as low u drag ooeffioiant as possible without saori-
fioing flight stability. The result of this low drag is a ruarkedly
reduced Telocity-fall-off rate and the ability to deliver to the target
a higher percentage of the available mu*sie energy than way other diS"
carding sebot shot.

(C) 8. Using the existing penetration capabilities of the pro¬

tection ballistic limits of the Arres» projectile as a basis for esti¬
mating the performance of the delta-fin shot, penetration of 6 inches
of amor plate at 60° obliquity is predicted at a range of 2000 yards
and 6 inches at 60° obliquity at a range of 500 yards. Defeat of the
triple spaced Tripartite armor configuration is estimated to be marginal
with the present penetrator configuration. However, a program has been
initiated to develop a penetrator configuration capable of defeating
triple spaced araoi. This program is described in Paragraph 14,

(C) 9. Another of the major problam areas ooranon to all hyper-

yeloeityjjgmnition JLs that of determining the flight path of ÏKÔ—-
róund in the event of ft target mies* This ijs accomplished in lower
velocity aanunition by means of a pyrotechnic tracer installed in ttie
bass of the projectile», . Hcwever, the use of a tracer for sensing a
projectile having flight velocities in the neighborhood of 5000 ft./seo.
becomes quite difficult due to the short tine» of flight. Adding to this
problem is the obscuration of vision caused by the dust and smoke of the
munie blast. This obscuration is of such a degree «nH duration that if
a hit is not made on the target, there is little chance of sensing the
round regardless of whether a tracer is employed or net. To eliminate
this disadvantageous condition, it is proposed to incorporate a sensing
system in the 106/40mm Delta-finned round which will leave a persistent
trail capable of being observed from the tank after the obecuratinr smoke
and dust has cleared.

(0) 10. A system of this nature is presently under studv at

Pica tinny Arsenal. Sensing is provided by & smoke trail of sufficient
density and persistence to make observance along the trail possible.
^ Wil1 DOt 138 r*adily observable from some point to the side
° /ív1/ * delay provision is to be incorporated in the round
so that vhe trail wiir-oSmmenoe St a paint florae 40CLor„_5.Q0 yards from
the gun n^e^.,tharebxji^ucjjigjthe. abi'IIt3^r'an_ observer to locate
a tank firing from oonoealuent*

(C) 11. Tha «moke gmerator will b. l«t«ll^ in th. holi«>

"*“1 ,Ü*d*1“*“ ”f »■•«*•«01.. («,. 5 ». It ooMUt. of .

CONFIDENTIAL
 CONFIDENTIAL

liquid whi^h will provide aaoke of tiie proper density w»eu brought
into contact with air at the high temperatures produced ir flight d"o
to the Mach number tmaperature rise. This liquid is meterod through
bleed holes at the base of the wind shield, and is forced out of the
Windshield Cavity by the pressure generated by allowing rair. sir into
the front of the cavity through a hols in ths posa. Provision will be
made to prevent contact of the pressurising air anã the smoke producing
liquiqr qmniôrftuicsi of ^as inside the windshield cavity Could result in
splitting or bursting the windshield in flight. The delay proví*i< n
R-Vïld ft# ^"oaplished by plugging the exit holes with a thenaoplastic
compound which will melt after being exposed to aerodynamic heating for
a period of approximately a 1/4 second.
(0) 12» The HEAT round for this system is the cartridge presently
vrder development for the 105KK 3un, T254, namely, Cartridge, HEAT, 105H11,
% xiig. 6;. Although the T254 Sun is i. rifled tube, firing of the T384
from a smoothbore tube would preeanfc ro design pro hl*-» because ic is a
ßpu-afcshi^iaCÄ Configuration. This round is presently in the ¿D pi^'se
of develoMjer&T" " [''V':y£

(C) 13. The HE and W projectiles for this syctam are the Cartridges,
105IW, HET3, T344 and 105MK, WPS, T34) respectively. îheee were initially
under development for the 1051G4 Smoothbore Gun T2i0, an! althqu^Q suspended,
are in an advunced stato of deve^-opaent.

(0) 14. To farther develop the potwtial of the proposed ayscem,

the results t»*- ’-’cgraiup aow in progress con be integrated into the'
ovvV; ••♦■•'mi, First of these is the combustible cartridge «ase, which
wfauld offer the advantages of c oailler and lighter complete round, no
cartridge caeos to dispose of and faatar loading and huidling. The
program is an Investigation of amoc^psnatjntors being initiated
on a scale-model basis iria light gas gun at Picatïhny Arsenal. The aim
of this investigation is to evolve superior apwerpenetrators for beth
single ani spaced amor targets. A specific goal of thij *5ale-model
program is tc develop a composite penetmtor of high lan gth-tc-diameter
ratio capable of penetrating a h.-V./le spaced-araor target such as speci¬
fied in the Tripartite Agreements.

7
CONFIDENTIAL
 T
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CCNFir^íNTfAL

HEFDPSSG5S

1. "Report o;. JCkbD Weapon Syatam Eraliwt'1. on”- ?ir«t Report on

Cr ’ornee Projoofc Nc-,. Abo'-a««! Proving 'j.rcurv., toryl«.«!
(Efeurst).

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A ^cíüparison of Typical Obturation Cliart'v.o: istica
between the 90MK Delta-Finnod Round and the '/J M T320
Arrow Round.

TOR: Delta-Fin (Shot, FS, Model 2) T208E4 Tu ) tube

round ^57. è\!ote cmer^en^e of round before b]' it.

BOTTOM: Arrow (T33DE76) tube round 56.

12 CONKli IMTiAL
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