To assess the effectiveness of hyper-velocity kinetic penetrators against the armor of American tanks, Chinese researchers have conducted tests, drawing inspiration from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and paying particular attention to the armored divisions of Taiwan equipped by the United States.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) revealed that Chinese scientists have performed simulations to evaluate the damage potential of kinetic energy projectiles against American military armor. According to the SCMP, a solid spherical projectile weighing 20 kilograms and traveling at four times the speed of sound could cause significant damage to tanks. The kinetic energy of the projectile is estimated at 25 megajoules, equivalent to less than seven kilowatt-hours in electrical energy terms. Despite external visual integrity, the simulations have revealed substantial internal damage to the targeted tanks.
The study, led by Huang Jie from the Hypervelocity Aerodynamics Institute of China’s Aerodynamics Research and Development Center, was published in the peer-reviewed journal Equipment Environmental Engineering. The research highlighted that certain sections of the armored target are highly likely to fail due to overload damage, as indicated by their impact response spectrum lines exceeding the safety limits of the NATO MIL-STD-810 standard. This standard pertains to environmental design and test limits for the lifecycle of military equipment.
The SCMP report further notes that assessing damage caused by kinetic projectiles is more challenging than conventional anti-armor rounds due to the complex manner in which the resulting shock wave travels through the entire vehicle, concentrating stress in areas like bolts, leading to distortion or fracture.
Developing specialized anti-tank weapons, such as the previously mentioned hypervelocity projectiles, is certainly not new in military history. The evolution of anti-tank weapons has been a constant response to advances in tank design and protection.