Lance Wiebe
Sr. Member
- Reaction score
- 6
- Points
- 230
The two concepts indeed do have their strengths and weaknesses. Primarily in that the rifled gun was designed to fire both KE and CE rounds, with one of the CE rounds having an Infantry support capability. HESH is great for forticications, buildings and so on, and the smoothbores lack this capability.
There is no denying that the smoothbore was designed to kill armour, and nothing else. It is telling that 25 years after the weapon first appeared, the French, Germans, and Americans are still developing a round with HE capabilities. The primary problem with all of them is stability and accuracy. None of the rounds 120mm HE projectiles, including the French round, have met the minimum requirements for acceptance, despite being in development for years.
However, the argument is moot. The excellent CHARM3, the most accurate and powerful 120mm tank gun out there, will soon beome a footnote in history. And, someday, technology will develop a round that is almost as good as the HESH/HEP/HE rounds fired from rifled barrels for the smoothbore.
There is one thing that makes me wonder about the US approach, though. And that is there call for the various 105 mm rounds for the MGS. Maybe they will use the 105 to support the Infantry, and give up on developing an HE round for the 120?
There is no denying that the smoothbore was designed to kill armour, and nothing else. It is telling that 25 years after the weapon first appeared, the French, Germans, and Americans are still developing a round with HE capabilities. The primary problem with all of them is stability and accuracy. None of the rounds 120mm HE projectiles, including the French round, have met the minimum requirements for acceptance, despite being in development for years.
However, the argument is moot. The excellent CHARM3, the most accurate and powerful 120mm tank gun out there, will soon beome a footnote in history. And, someday, technology will develop a round that is almost as good as the HESH/HEP/HE rounds fired from rifled barrels for the smoothbore.
There is one thing that makes me wonder about the US approach, though. And that is there call for the various 105 mm rounds for the MGS. Maybe they will use the 105 to support the Infantry, and give up on developing an HE round for the 120?