The M1A2 SEPv2, as implimented currently on the dev server, lacks its primary APFSDS round, M829A3 (source). The round represents a significant improvement from previous US 120mm APFSDS rounds, being heavier, longer, featuring a steel tip designed to defeat Soviet ERA, and propelled by a new propellant solution. In game, the US tree presently needs M829A3 because of its ability to penetrate MBTs equipped with Contakt-5 ERA. The addition of an improved round would help US players defeat the astounding number of top-tier or near-top-tier USSR MBTs equipped with Contakt-5 (6 total; 4 with both thermal sights and laser rangefinders).
I’ve opened a bug report for this issue, which has been submitted as a suggestion.
Dimensions and details of M829A3 can be found here.
A patent assigned to Northrop-Grumman, designers of M829A3, suggests that penetrators with a solid steel nose, >24mm diameter, and >650mm length (such as M829A3) outperform penetrators with hollow tips (previous M829 rounds) by at least 20% in penetration against ERA (see Fig. 4).
I honestly thought the new R8 vehicles were going to be much better, but a bunch of current tanks were moved to rank 8 but there hasn’t been a single BR change… I mean, the Sep2 and Sep1 are basically carbon copies aren’t they? lol(In game)
