Aberdeen Proving Ground kinetic energy penetrator armor defeat (1984-1985)

36-inch depleted-uranium penetrator shot through three lined-up tanks (six layers of armor). General "tossed his cookies." Within two years, armor caught up and no munition was undefeatable.

We didn't talk about this with armor. The Army can hit — suppose a tank round, it could be a 36-inch-long, three-quarter-inch-diameter rod with depleted uranium. They use it because the high density, but what penetrates is the kinetic energy. Kinetic energy penetrators, just like your rail guns. It actually sharpens itself as it's penetrating, and you can go through as much steel as the length of the shell. I've seen down at Aberdeen Proving Ground, 36 inches of steel penetrated, one shot.

Tom's student in the Army at Watertown Arsenal tells him about a three-tank RPG test where the projectile penetrated all six layers of armor; general "tossed his cookies." Within a year, composite ceramic-metal armor defeated all known penetrators.

The technology for weapons is sort of amazing. In 1985, they were first developing some of these really good RPGs. One of my students who was in the Army at the time, over at Watertown Arsenal doing his doctoral thesis, told me a story. They lined up three tanks on a battlefield — probably down at Aberdeen — and they shot an RPG, and it went through six layers of armor, through both sides of all three tanks. Apparently the general tossed his cookies right there on the battlefield. He just got sick.

Tom recounts seeing a shape charge penetrate 36 inches of steel at Aberdeen. He traces the technology from its 1880s discovery at the Brooklyn Navy Yard (USN embossed in steel) through current Iraq/Afghanistan IEDs (precisely-machined copper liners imported from an unnamed country), RPG geometry, and the armor/counter-armor escalation: steel → ceramic → kinetic-energy penetrators (depleted uranium, now tungsten) → active explosive armor → dual-sabot two-stage penetrators. National Geographic's WWTC piece is referenced for shape-charge demolition.

I've seen down at Aberdeen Proving Ground where a shape charge went all the way through thirty-six inches of steel. I meant to bring in my shape-charge thing this morning, I forgot. Does everybody know how shape charges work?