Why does the British army use Hesh?
Why does the British army use Hesh?
HESH was favoured by the British (some say to the point of fetishism!) because the round is versatile. It can kill tanks, is very effective against masonry targets, bunkers etc and about 90\% as effective as HE against enemy troops. [Ref 4].
What is britain’s main battle tank?
The Challenger 2
The Challenger 2 is the British Army’s main battle tank.
Who makes British tanks?
The tank has a 550 km range and maximum road speed of 59 km/h….Challenger 2.
| FV 4034 Challenger 2 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Alvis plc, BAE Systems Land & Armaments |
| Unit cost | £4,217,000 |
| Produced | 1993–2002 |
| No. built | ≈ 447 |
Does Britain still build tanks?
The British Army has 227 ageing Challenger 2 tanks. Only 148 of them will be modernised and they won’t be entirely new. The Challenger 3 tank will use the existing chassis, but it will have a new digital turret and smoothbore gun. It will also have a more powerful engine.
Are HESH rounds still used in the military?
HESH rounds are currently still carried by armoured engineer vehicles; they are typically intended for use against fortifications rather than armoured fighting vehicles. A 165mm HESH round is used by the United States Army for the main gun of the M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle, an M60 tank equipped with a bulldozer blade.
What is the difference between heat and Hesh?
Unlike high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) rounds, which are shaped charge ammunition, HESH shells are not specifically designed to perforate the armour of main battle tanks. HESH shells rely instead on the transmission of the shock wave through the solid steel armour.
What is an example of Hesh damage?
Example of the spalling damage caused by HESH. High-explosive squash head ( HESH) is a type of explosive ammunition that is effective against tank armour and is also useful against buildings. It was fielded chiefly by the British Army as the main explosive round of its main battle tanks during the Cold War.
Why did the use of HESH rounds decline in WWII?
Another reason for the declining use of HESH rounds is the preference of most armies for smoothbore cannons.