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Kinetic Energy Penetrator History
Innovations in tank protective technology such as sloped armor and increasingly dense materials have made it increasingly difficult to destroy a tank using a traditional large-bore gun barrel. Kinetic energy penetrators were originally used in anti-aircraft guns by Germany in the Second World War to shoot down high altitude bombers. Their value in penetrating tank armor was noted, and armies around the world began developing better penetrators, finding that extremely dense metals were optimal because they could punch through armor at the highest speeds, ensuring the destruction of a target. Tungsten and depleted uranium became the primary sources of kinetic energy penetrator materials by the 1980s.
Kinetic Energy Penetrator Mechanics
When fired from a gun barrel, any projectile immediately begins losing velocity due to air resistance. Kinetic energy penetrators are often built into the core of a tank shell that splits apart mid-flight, sending a narrow dart of highly dense metal to the target. This penetrator minimizes air resistance and the amount of surface area affected by the force of the metal striking the tank, making it more likely to break through the armor. The high kinetic energy of the round translates to high heat and mechanical stress in the area where the penetrator strikes; when it makes it through the armor, it essentially becomes an arrow of molten metal that can ignite ammunition and fuel inside the target tank.
Common Kinetic Energy Penetrator Materials
The United States primarily uses depleted uranium in its kinetic energy penetrators as of 2011. This material is a byproduct of nuclear reactors that is mildly radioactive and highly carcinogenic but also extremely dense. A relatively cheap material due to the quantities of nuclear waste generated by the United States each year, depleted uranium is used in ammunition for tanks as well as aircraft. Germany and other European nations use tungsten alloys in their kinetic energy penetrators. These metals are a bit less dense and more expensive than depleted uranium, but have proven in field exercises to have better penetration characteristics due to their lighter weight. Unfortunately, tungsten's sources are in metal mines and it requires a good deal of refining to make it a viable penetrator core.
Future Kinetic Energy Penetrators and Side Effects
As of 2011, current research into kinetic energy penetrators seeks new materials that can provide better performance than tungsten alloys while posing less of a health hazard in comparison with depleted uranium. Research has implicated the latter in increased incidence of birth defects and cancer rates in warz ones such as Southern Iraq, where it was heavily used during the 1991 Gulf War. It may also pose a hazard to tank crews, and many vehicles that use depleted uranium have posted warning signs. In the future, ceramic alloys combining carbon and tungsten may replace current materials because of the high availability of carbon and the low weight of carbon-based materials.