Logo from Scott Cunningham.
Logo from Scott Cunningham.
deally tanks would only have one type of ammunition which would be effective against all targets, including soft dispersed targets such as infantry. However kinetic energy armour piercing ammunition such as APDS or APFSDS are ineffective against such targets, and so must be complemented by another type of ammunition.
The traditional complement to armour piercing ammunition has been conventional HE (high explosive) projectiles. Their fragmentation effects and blast make them effective against unprotected or lightly protected targets, including light armour vehicles, and they are also relatively inexpensive. However they are ineffective against heavy armour and, in some cases where, e.g., the main threat is massive armoured attack such as that faced by the NATO alliance up until 1989, have been gradually abandoned in favour of other types of ammunition which are still effective against soft targets, and have some effectiveness against heavy armour.7, 11
HESH (or HEP) has been used as a substitute for HE only by Britain. HESH lacks fragmentation which is desirable against infantry targets, and it is also more expensive than HE. In contrast, HESH has greater blast effect than the alternative, HEAT, and it remains the most effective type of ammunition against concrete fortifications.7
HEAT has been used as a substitute for HE by most NATO countries since the 1960s. HEAT has greater fragmentation than HESH, and later developments of HEAT have included more effective fragmentation casing; such projectiles are called HEAT–MP (HEAT multi-purpose). HEAT also has the advantage that it is preferred to HESH as a secondary anti-armour projectile.7
For most other countries which do not face such a massive armoured threat, HE projectiles are still part of the repertoire of a modern tank gun:
“HE has been in steady service with a number of tank using armies, especially those not fixated with butting heads with the Red Armoured Horde. Sweden made its own HE for the 105mm (S-tank and Centurion) and the moment they got the Leopard 2 they developed an HE round for it as well. China has developed and produced its own HE for a rifled 100mm, a smoothbore 100mm, a rifled 105mm, and a smoothbore 125mm. South Africa found it needed to develop an HE round for its Oliphants, to suit its warfare needs. AMX-30s have HE, although the French have not made an HE round for the Leclerc. Germany is currently developing HE for the Leopard 2. The Swiss developed their own HE round for their 105mm systems, and are eyeing German 120mm efforts, as are the Spanish. India has developed HE for the Arjun. And it would hardly be fair to leave the T–80 and T–90 off the list.” 11
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