Why is HESH still in this horrific state

I personally have never had an issue with HESH around 7.7-8.7 in the Stridsvagn 103’s smaller 105mm HESH, used to be my main way of dealing with the Obj. 279 at that range, just hit the cupola and over pressure it, but that was quiet a while ago, when I was using it recently, it should have over pressured very easily, but did not. Ballistically, and explosively a great shell, just not well portrayed by gaijin, because realistically, if could cause internal pressure change so rapidly it could cause bleeding from the ears and nose, and for the weaker pain tolerance of people, a possible KO from the shockwave, without even remotely penetrating the armor, as the shockwave and blast waves aren’t modeled in game.

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I’ve had HESH rounds ricochet in a match, then in testing have them land at even worse angles. So inconsistent :(

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no, it is only shrapnel^^

HESH has never been able to overpressure. HE and HEAT can, along with >120mm APHE, but HESH cannot.

Well, it did something to KO the whole crew.

I think I once had something like a T-44 (I cant recall exactly what it was, wasnt a light tank/IFV but certainly wasnt a heavy tank either) survive a direct hit from the AVRE’s 165mm HESH round. Was barely a scratch.

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Yeah, that’s usual, I mean, the penetration max on the Shell L35 105mm is like 137, so I just aim for cupola or optics, usually KO in a shot, but yet again, that was quiet some time ago.

I found a good use for the HESH, these types of bullets cause spalling in the direction of the armor in which they hit, so it is very easy to kill enemies when you shoot them hitting the roof of the tank. For example, with the 90mm HESH I have killed the T-10A that way, hitting them with the HESH on the bulge on the roof of the tower and causing the spalling to go down vertically. The bad thing is that it doesn’t work well with the 165mm HESH Because to make those shots you need either precision (laser rangefinder), or rate of fire to correct in the second shot.

Honestly, no ammo type deserves to be this bad. Not HESH, not APCR, not smaller APDS.

None of us could have predicted that a realistic (and rightful) nerf to APHE would ever be incoming, so maybe, just maybe, HESH could be made useful again like it was in 1.69 (minus its ammo detonation ability it had then as its fragments were not hot enough in reality to easily set off ammo).

Honestly, just make the postpen a half sphere from the impact point, restore the overpressure ability to it, and suddenly the round works again.

Then maybe we can get to restoratively buffing APCR and APDS to where they belong (no worse than similar-caliber solid AP).

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Uhh, that is sort of what ERA is designed for. Chemical rounds. The blast from the ERA exploding negates the blast from the Maverick. Hence why tandem charge ATGMs exist, to negate the ERA while still using HEAT penetrators.

Whenever I fight the Soviets or Germans, I bring HESH as they do well against them. When it comes to American tanks, HEATFS is my only best option for the Type 60 SPRG at 6.7. Think you just gotta use them against the right tanks.

Yes, but they are typically designed to defeat RPGs, not 50kg of explosive…

Like I said - how on earth is the s-25o able to overpressure the same tank with less explosive?

The Maverick is a HEAT penetrator, the S-25O is an HE warhead. ERA was designed especially to defeat HEAT penetrators. RPGs are HEAT Penetrators, same as the Maverick. It isn’t all about explosive mass in the game, the overpressure mechanic in the game relies on penetration and damage of an internal module for the explosive blast wave to enter the vehicle and cause the overpressure. The Maverick being a HEAT penetrator will not go through the ERA, so the blast wave will not enter. The HE shell can fragment in any direction and those fragments may enter an area without the ERA and cause the blast to enter the vehicle.

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Read what I said please.

ERA on russian tanks is designed to stop small chemical rounds like from RPGs. You’re absolutely bonkers if you think a tile of ERA is going to stop the explosive force of a maverick. Have you seen what the remains of a tank hit by a maverick looks like?

Just because it uses a HEAT penetrator, doesn’t mean that 50kg of explosive going off isn’t also going to cause a massive shockwave on the roof of the tank. If anything it should be worse because the explosion is actually directed instead of just sending shrapnel in all directions.

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image

Nope, any tank hit by this will die realistically, gaijin just implements most things poorly.

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Yeah I don’t understand how they are so weak.

Even if every bit of energy from that 50kg TNT went into the copper/plasma projectile (which is obviously not the case), that thing would be traveling so fast and hot that it would just atomise everything it comes into contact with, including the ERA.

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The cool thing is, what happens in real life doesn’t matter much in this game. I’m telling you about the game’s mechanics. ERA stops chemical rounds, the Maverick is a chemical round. Should it stop 51 kg of explosive? No, probably not, but it does. That is how the game mechanics work. And overpressure doesn’t happen because it stops the penetrating fragments from making it through the tank. So yes, it does mean that HEAT penetrator is why it won’t cause the shockwave, because of Warthunder’s physics.

You asked why the S-25O can overpressure but the Maverick can’t and I explained it to you. You don’t have to act like I’m some ignorant moron, especially when I answered your question in detail.

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I agree with you, in real life it would. Warthunder doesn’t operate on real life, so it doesn’t happen.

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That’s fair enough - your initial comment sounded like you were saying era could stop the maverick in real life.

That wasn’t my intention, sorry. Was just trying to explain my point clearly.

It’s cool. I know that things get misinterpreted in these disucssions. I also know a missile as large as the Maverick would absoluetly destroy any tank that it hit, but Warthunder doesn’t make as much sense most of the time. I wish it did, because things like Realshatter did nothing but shatter my hopes and dreams, but I digress.

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