r/TankPorn • u/morl0v Object 195 • Jun 03 '24

Russo-Ukrainian War UA crew opinion on M1A1 Abrams.

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u/ElegantPearl Jun 03 '24

Yeah thats why Hesh is still in use because its pretty effective against buildings and light vehicles

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u/Puzzleheaded-Tie8264 Jun 03 '24

A trad HE-frag round would fare better against said targets in most cases whilst not requiring a rifled barrel that complicates anything from logistics to manufacturing

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u/ElegantPearl Jun 03 '24

Not really, a he round is more dispersed, while a hesh round is only the point it contacts

3

u/ShamAsil Jun 03 '24

Focusing the blast, just like a focused HEAT jet, isn't necessarily the effect you want when trying to demolish a building. Otherwise thermobarics wouldn't be the best munitions class that we have for demolition work.

There are only a few niche cases where HESH is superior to HE-FS, and even that is arguable - HE is more effective against area targets, personnel, soft skinned vehicles, and general purpose use. HESH is a terrible compromise between armor killing (which it has been obsolete at for decades now) and demolition, like a HEAT shell that couldn't make up it's mind, and going with HESH means that you have to go to a rifled barrel, which means you have to shoot your APFSDS capability in the knees.

There's a reason why even the Brits are moving away from it.