Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1258433
Jaguar EBRC Lynx KF41 40 is currently competing with the 50x335 mm Supershort round in the US. CTAI 40x255 mm CTAI round has been developed since 1994, with series manufacturing launched in France and the UK. The ammunition in question is currently marketed in Europe. It is a telescopic round, namely, the projectile does not extend outside the casing - it is hidden inside the brass. That makes it easier to supply the ammunition to the gun. The new ammunition is coupled with a new, ultra-light CT40 gun (weighing just 340 kg), with a rotating breech. CT40 offers a 200RPM rate of fire, with the ammunition being selectable in less than 3 sec. The barrel can withstand at least 10,000 shots. The sabot round exits the muzzle with the energy of 500 kJ which allows it to penetrate 140-160 mm RHA at 1000 m (plate inclined at 60 deg) The multi- purpose programmable round contains 110 g of explosive. ABM rounds are also available. Thanks to the telescopic design a beltless feeding system could have been developed which translates into increased reliability. The three different beltless ammunition feed options are 68 rounds of three different types, and 42 or 70 rounds of two types. These quantities are fairly low, however, the manufacturer claims that 3 CTAI rounds are on par, performance- wise, with a burst of 21 30 mm rounds. BOFORS Bofors 40x364R round for the L70 guns has been considered to be a „Swedish thing of the past", both due to the gun design, as well as due to the obsolete nature of the round itself. However, the performance and common nature of the Swedish 40 mm gun paved the way for it to become the primary weapon of the Korean K21 platform. India, meanwhile, acquired the rights to the IFV variant of the gun. Despite its age, this type of ammunition cannot be disregarded. 500 kJ of muzzle energy allows the round to penetrate 150 mm of RHA (Swedish sabot rounds). However, the Koreans have already developed a modern APFSDS-T round with a composite sabot and elongated core with self-sharpening purposes. The monster projectile in question can penetrate 180 mm of steel armor. This value is fairly high and it is sufficient to act against the derivatives of the North Koreans T-54, T-55, and T-62 MBTs. MP-T round contains 870 g of explosive which makes this ammunition powerful. Furthermore, interesting feed-programmable (slide connection) ammunition has been developed in Sweden and Korea, based on the 3P solution. Unfortunately, the solution also has some disadvantages, stemming from the ammunition size and the Bofors L70 design. The gun has only 24 rounds in its magazine under the gun assembly. The magazine is divided into three sections, 8 rounds in each. In the Swedish vehicles, the magazine is loaded manually. The Koreans have developed a far more interesting solution with the magazine attached to a rocking mount. For reloading, it is tilted downwards, so that it touches a column feed/storage. The magazine, once moved into the lower position, can be automatically loaded in less than 10 sec. However, the procedure in question may interrupt the potential engagement as well. ANALYSIS