Shamus

Could our active or retired armour members explain the difference between these two rounds?I know basically how a HEAT works using a shaped charge warhead to create a plasma jet to burn through armour but I am curious as to how a HESH round works.All I know about a HESH round is that it needs to be fired through a rifled barrel.Any information and opinions as to which is more effective would be appreciated.

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aktarian

HESH round squishes and explosive spreads on surface. Then it explodes and sends shock waves through hull or other. As these waves reach other side of hull (inner) parts of it start breaking off and flying through fighting compartment with high speed. Not effective against modern armor but good against bunkers and such.

High explosive squash head - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

pdf27

Well, not MBT armour anyway. I suspect that 20kgs of plastic explosive on the surface of an IFV will do it a lot of no good.

IIRC the longest ranged tank-tank kill in history was a Challenger 1 firing HESH during the 1990/91 Gulf war - a little over 5000m. As it's a rifled chemical energy round, it has the same lethality over it's entire range.

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dave lukins

High Explosive Squash Head ,as df has said it hits the Turret(hopefully) spreads out, then blast through, taking what is known as a "Scab" into the fighting Area where it bounces around at high speed causing massive damage. Used against "light armour" and "soft-Skin" vehicles usually followed up with the machine gun

Bob Jones

When I was still serving, in the 70s, I was a Swingfire, Anti Tank Missile controller, and that used a HEAT, High Explosive Anti Tank, charge, on impact this causes a jet of molten metal to fire into and through the hull of a Tank, and inflicts mayhem inside, not pretty, but pretty effective, they had a maximun effective range of 4000m, and were optically guided

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zraver

The spall caused by HESH is easily defeated by even the most basic armors. ie the 120mm round fired from a Chally's gun couldn't even knock out a Pz IIIJ or Stug IIIG if it hit the skirts. It was developed towards the end of WW2 to deal with the massive armor of the Panther and Tiger (which dodnt use skirts) by using the armor itself as a weapon against the crew. IIRC it was first standard issue of the QQF 77mm of the Comet. With Modern spaced armors it has receeded in importance vs tanks but is still wonderful vs older tanks, smaller veihicles with no spaced armor, and structures.

It also does not need to be fired from a rifled gun, if you needed a HESH/HEP (High Explosive Plastic in US terminology) round from a 120 or 125 you could do it easily.

glyn

[quote=zraver;375367]The spall caused by HESH is easily defeated by even the most basic armors.

Well, having seen what HESH rounds do to what they hit, I certainly wouldn't like to be in any tank hit by one.
At the very least, it would be a sovereign cure for constipation

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zraver

20lbs plus of HE will loosen any bowel thats for sure

Shamus

The thought of it sure loosened mine. Thank you gentlemen for your informative replies.