high-explosive antitank

ammunition

Also known as: HEAT

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

High-explosive antitank (HEAT) ammunition is a type of shell designed to defeat enemy tanks. Developed in the 1950s, HEAT shells utilize a shaped charge with a conical cavity. This design concentrates the explosive energy into a high-velocity jet capable of piercing thick armor.1

While effective, HEAT rounds have been increasingly superseded by armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding-sabot (APFSDS) ammunition since the 1970s. APFSDS projectiles feature long-rod penetrator cores and can be fired at velocities exceeding 1,650 meters per second, allowing them to perforate significantly thicker armor than earlier ammunition types.1

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tank
Ammunition
…during the 1950s was the high-explosive antitank (HEAT) shell. This shell used a shaped charge with a conical cavity that concentrated its explosive energy into a very high-velocity jet capable of piercing thick armour. The HEAT round was favoured by the U.S. Army for its 90-mm tank guns and also…
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…during the 1950s was the high-explosive antitank (HEAT) shell. This shell used a shaped charge with a conical cavity that concentrated its explosive energy into a very high-velocity jet capable of piercing thick armour. The HEAT round was favoured by the U.S. Army for its 90-mm tank guns and also…
Read More