The increasing importance of armoured fighting vehicles, in particular the tank, in the 20th century required the development of specialized weapons capable of countering their armoured protection. The first tanks deployed during WW I possessed relatively light armour and were vulnerable to field artillery. The Germans produced an anti-tank rifle (essentially a beefed-up heavy calibre bolt action weapon) which was unpleasant to fire but ranks as the first specialist anti-armour weapon.
The development of the tank as the main striking arm during WW II necessitated the design of specialized anti-armour weapons. At the beginning of the war, most armies deployed dedicated anti-armour guns of around 40 mm. Tanks were soon equipped with thicker armour to protect them from these weapons, which in turn forced the fielding of heavier anti-armour guns. By the end of the war, the Germans were regularly using their 88 mm anti-aircraft gun with conspicuous success in the anti-armour role and the British had fielded a 77 mm gun. A gun versus armour race had developed, which continues to this day.
WW II also saw the development of the two basic types of anti-armour rounds which still continue to be used in modified form. The first, and simplest, of these is based on kinetic energy (KE). This round depends on mass and velocity; the denser the projectile and the higher its velocity, the deeper it penetrates armour. Originally, the projectile itself was made of a very hard metal, such as tungsten, and fired down a long, tapered barrel to give it a high velocity. The German 88 mm gun is probably the best example of this type of weapon. It fired a 9.5 kg solid-shot round at 2, 657 feet/sec (810 metres/sec) which was capable of penetrating 60 mm of armour at 3, 936 feet (1, 200 metres).
By 1944, the British had developed an improved version of the KE round. A round invariably lost velocity in flight due to wind resistance. To help overcome this problem the British invented a ‘discarding sabot’ round. This consisted of a small solid shot encased in a pot (the sabot) which disintegrated when leaving the gun's barrel, allowing the smaller projectile to fly to the target with the propulsion force concentrated on a smaller area. In the modern version of this type of round, the projectile is often made of depleted uranium, an extremely heavy and dense metal.
The second type of round developed relied upon chemical energy (CE) rather than kinetic. In its simplest form, this was merely a projectile that exploded on contact with the tank—a basic high explosive round. During the war, a more sophisticated version of this was invented based upon a hollow charge. This round was made of a cone of explosive (the hollow, or shaped, charge) lined with metal. When the warhead struck its target, the explosive would detonate and its cone shape would focus the energy of the explosion driving its now molten metal lining through the armour in a tight stream. This basic idea is still utilized by ‘high-explosive anti-tank’ (HEAT) rounds in use today.
This shaped charge also allowed the deployment of lightweight, man-portable anti-armour rockets. The first of these was the German Panzerfaust used initially in 1942. These proved capable of penetrating up to 200 mm of armour at up to 328 yards (300 metres). Simple to operate and produce, the Germans distributed these weapons liberally to their troops. The Allies also used weapons with similar effects, like the British PIAT (Projector Infantry, Anti-Tank) and the US Bazooka.
Most nations today still use a portable anti-armour rocket similar to those produced during WW II in order to provide the infantry with a degree of organic anti-armour capability. These weapons are lightweight and have a limited range (generally under 547 yards (500 metres) ). An example of this type of weapon is the Russian RPG-7. Weighing 8.5 kg fully armed, its 2.2 kg warhead is capable of penetrating 260 mm of armour at a distance of up to 383 yards (350 metres). These weapons were exported widely during the Cold War.
By the end of WW II improvements in armour made necessary the deployment of ever larger and heavier anti-armour guns. These weapons became more and more difficult to manoeuvre on the battlefield. Two solutions emerged from this; first, the self-propelled (SP) gun; second, the Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM). The latter has the advantage of being far lighter and more accurate than the gun and has been deployed extensively by the world's armies, both on the ground and in the air.
These weapons can be broken down into two broad categories. First, there are the man-portable ATGMs. These are lightweight and have a relatively short range. In most of these weapons, the missile is guided to the target by commands from the gunner transmitted along a wire running from the launch tube to the missile. The gunner has merely to keep the target in his sights to hit it. The best example of this type is the French-designed MILAN (Missile d'Infanterie Léger Anti-char), used by over 30 nations. The current model, the MILAN 2, fires a 3 kg HEAT warhead up to 3, 280 yards (3, 000 metres) and can penetrate up to 1, 000 mm of armour. The missile and launcher together weigh around 30 kg and the system is normally served by a two-man crew.
In addition to man-portable ATGMs, a heavier, vehicle-mounted version is also used. This type has greater penetration and range than its lighter cousin, but operates along the same principles. The US-produced TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-sighted, Wire-guided) missile is an example of a heavy ATGM. First fielded in 1972, the 100 kg TOW is normally fitted to a HMMWV (‘Hummer’) or a light armoured vehicle, but is also fitted to the AH-1 Cobra helicopter. The current TOW 2 fires a 10 kg HEAT warhead up to 4, 100 yards (3, 750 metres), which can penetrate over 1, 000 mm of armour. Two other versions are in production; the TOW 2A, which fires a tandem charge designed to defeat reactive armour, and the TOW 2B, which is designed to attack the thin top armour of a target.
The next generation of ATGMs are laser- rather than wire-guided. These have the advantage of being more accurate than the traditional variety. The only example of this type currently in use is the US Hellfire missile. While the Hellfire is normally fitted to the Apache helicopter, it can also be fitted on ground vehicles. It has a 7, 653 yard (7, 000 metre) range and its warhead consists of a tandem-shaped charge to penetrate reactive armour.
Bibliography
- Jane's Armour and Artillery, 1998-1999 (London, 1998).
- Jane's Infantry Weapons, 1998-1999 (London, 1998).
- Mellenthin, F. W., Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armour in WW II (London, 1955)
— Robert Foley
