The solution of specific tasks - the destruction of the runway, the mine with weapons, the reinforced concrete walls of the firing point - is possible with the use of concrete-piercing shells and air bombs.
Powerful penetrating munitions have been increasingly used in recent years to fight terrorists hiding in underground shelters.
Divided into parts
Modern concrete-piercing projectile consists of several structural elements:
- Case. It is made of high-alloy high-strength steel with a high viscosity index, which ensures its safety when hitting an obstacle with high energy. The necessary kinematic and dynamic qualities of the projectile are achieved for the light of the increased body length.
- High precision alloy tip located at the front of the ammo. Forms a penetrating channel in the ground. Some projectiles have a HEAT block in the tip, which improves the ability of the ammunition to penetrate obstacles.
- Aerodynamicelements. They are located on the outer part of the body and the tip. Provides heading support and steering when using the steered version.
- The brake chute compartment is equipped in the rear of the hull. Modern projectile models are equipped with aerodynamic brakes.
- At the rear is a parachute firing squib and a jet booster unit equipped with an intelligent activation system.
- Fuse with programmable retarder is also located at the rear. The retarder works at the set depth.
- The warhead with the calculated amount of explosive occupies the front of the projectile. An additional block with striking elements often enhances the thermobaric and high-explosive action of the ammunition. The energy of the striking elements during the explosion is stored within a radius of up to 100 meters from the epicenter.
- Laser guidance system. Activated only when using the receiver and emitter at the same time.
Punching power
Concrete-piercing shells were widely used by Soviet artillerymen during the winter war with Finland. Unsuccessful attempts to break through the Mannerheim Line, which resulted in the loss of personnel, forced the command to decide on the active use of artillery before engaging infantry and armored vehicles. In the fight against reinforced concrete fortifications on the Karelian Isthmus, the 203-mm B-4 concrete-piercing projectiles showed the greatest effectiveness.
These howitzers made it possible to destroy hundreds of expensivebuildings, for which they received the name "Stalin's sledgehammers" from the Finns.
The success of concrete-piercing shells during the hostilities inspired Soviet engineers and the military to further develop similar ammunition.
The first domestic concrete-piercing bomb BetAB-150DS was created on the basis of a 203 mm artillery shell. The weight of its warhead exceeded 100 kilograms, the built-in jet upper stage accelerated it as it approached the target. The maximum penetration depth of BetAB-150 when it hit the rock exceeded one and a half meters, after the explosion a funnel with a diameter of up to two meters was formed.
Increase in combat power
The range of bomber aviation expanded significantly in the post-war period, replenished with solid shells weighing up to five hundred kilograms. Having gone through several stages of modernization, such ammunition is still used today.
The main purpose of using concrete-piercing shells is to destroy command posts and protected terrorist bunkers, communications and underground warehouses of militants.
Unlike armor-piercing and fragmentation shells, concrete-piercing shells have a high-strength body with reinforced walls. The ammunition must enter the reinforced concrete structure at high speed and at a right angle. The fuse is activated with a set delay.
Rupture of the projectile occurs either inside the structure or in the concrete mass. For this reason, powerful large-caliber guns are used in artillery to destroy high-strength concretedesigns.
At the disposal of the Russian aviation forces there are several types of concrete-piercing projectiles - with a jet booster and free-falling.
Types of concrete-piercing ammunition of the Russian Aerospace Forces: BetAB-500
Practically all models of modern strike aircraft are capable of carrying a simple BetAB-500. Its discharge is carried out from a height of several thousand meters in order to gain high speed ammunition and obtain kinetic energy sufficient to break through a reinforced concrete barrier. A bomb weighing 500 kilograms can easily pass through floors of concrete a meter thick or go to a depth of soil up to three meters.
Version BetAB-500SHP
BetAB-500SHP - one of its modifications - is equipped with a stabilizing parachute and a jet engine, which gives additional acceleration near the surface of the earth. The principle of operation of the concrete-piercing projectile, as well as penetration, are similar to the basic version of the ammunition, but the modified design allows it to be dropped from low heights. Projectile accuracy has also been improved.
The design of a modern ammunition in the arsenal of the Russian Aerospace Forces - a cluster concrete-piercing projectile RBC-500U - includes nine elements. Often used to hit large areas.
The concrete-piercing projectiles used in the KV-2 are aimed at destroying runways, highways and airfield paths; their small ammunition scatter over a distance of several tens of meters.
US Concrete Punch Gun
US military forces also use concrete-piercing weapons in their operations. The most common guided bomb is the GBU-28, designed specifically for Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf in 1991. The reason for the development was the lack of ammunition capacity to destroy the command posts and government bunkers of the Iraqi army.
The hulls of the first versions of the GBU-28 were borrowed from 203 mm artillery pieces due to lack of time to develop weapons.
According to the results of the tests, a bomb stuffed with three hundred kilograms of explosive and having a mass of two tons pierced reinforced concrete floors up to six meters thick. Laser guidance made it possible to increase the accuracy of the strike.
The Americans used F-111 bombers to carry and drop hastily made shells.
The BLU-109/B had less impressive destructive power. The mass of the bomb is slightly less than a ton, the penetrating ability is overlapping up to two meters thick. The advantage of the projectile was the presence of intelligent guidance systems Paveway III and JDAM.
Other countries are actively engaged in the development of concrete-piercing weapons. For example, the Israeli Air Force has aircraft MRP-500s with adjustable direction, French pilots are armed with penetrating BLU-107 Durandal.
Cluster-piercing concrete shells
Cluster munitions are considered a separate class of concrete bombs; they are used to destroy airfield runways. ATIn 2002, the Russian arsenal of weapons was replenished with RBC-500U - the first cluster munitions.
The clip of such a bomb includes ten concrete-piercing elements thrown over the target. Their rupture leads to damage to the coverage of the runway of airfields over a huge area.
Concrete-piercing bombs adopted by the United States are much more effective and powerful than domestic G-530 concrete-piercing shells and others for several reasons:
- The use of ammunition of this type in combat conditions showed low efficiency: local damage to the pavement of the runways was repaired in a short time by the airfield support repair team.
- One-time damage to a large area of the runway with surface destruction of the concrete layer requires great efforts from the repair teams to restore the minimum usability of the runway.
- Most of the performance characteristics, technical documentation and instructions aimed at maintaining ammunition in combat readiness are classified as secret.
Conclusion
The dynamically developing geopolitical situation requires the armed forces of different countries to use effective weapons. Used in the last century on the SU-152, concrete-piercing shells still remain a weighty argument in the conduct of hostilities both in traditional ways and in anti-terrorist and counter-guerrilla operations. In the near future, an innovativeweapons and modernization of the existing arsenal.
