- Yes
- No
Introduction
The Excalibur 105mm Armour Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot - Traced (APFSDS-T) projectile was produced as a multinational collaboration between Royal Ordnance (later BAE Systems), Primex Technologies (now General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems), and Giat Industries (later Nexter). Its design built on experience gained from earlier 105 mm APFSDS programmes, such as the FP105/F105-C76 family, and was made to be compatible with the global range of 105mm rifled cannons (L7 family, Rh 105, M68, CN105F1, GT7 etc). Development was undertaken during the mid-late 90s, with the projectile doing the rounds at various exhibitions and trade shows during the 00s, and RO/BAE, Giat and GD-OTS marketing the round under the Excalibur name.
Structurally, Excalibur is a fixed round with the projectile assembly crimped to an M148A1B1 cartridge case (a brass case alternative was also available). The projectile is a two-piece assembly: a monobloc long-rod tungsten-alloy penetrator (identified in US documentation as X27X) and a three-segment, double-ramp aluminium sabot (high-strength 7150 family alloy). The penetrator carries a titanium carbonitride cap and aluminium windshield with a steel tip to resist aerodynamic heating, and a six-vane aluminium fin stablises the round during flight and also contains the tracer element. The sabot uses mating buttress grooves and a stainless-steel bourrelet with shear points to act as a ‘bore rider’.
In terms of dimensions, the complete round is 1.01 m long, the projectile 584 mm, with a muzzle velocity of ~1,560 m/s and chamber pressures on the order of 4,110-4,140 bar (More detailed specifications can be found below). The round’s claimed performance includes defeating at least 480 mm of rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) at 0° obliquity and 150 mm at 72° obliquity, at a distance of 2000m, with dispersion reported at less than 0.3x0.3 mil at 3,000 m. This level of penetration puts it on par with the best 105mm APFSDS projectiles built, like M900.
Excalibur attracted limited international interest after its initial promotion, and unfortunately there is no evidence that the round ever got purchased in significant quantities or made it into front-line service. However, it remains a very unique bit of kit, and appears by all measures to be one of the best-performing 105mm APFSDS penetrators ever built, in-line with rounds such as M900. In-game, it could provide the absolutely peak of 105mm firepower to the British export vehicles that still happened to be around by the mid-90s, such as the Vickers Mk 3(M), potentially the Vickers Mk 3(I), and at a push the Vickers Mk 3 (it might make more sense on a late production model), as these were being produced by Vickers well into the 90s. It could also be considered for the Vickers Mk 11, as that was also marketed well into the 90s, though that would be such a drastic increase in firepower it could significantly alter the BR of the vehicle.
Specifications
Spoiler
Images
Sources
Spoiler
Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2002 - 2003 (extract available here)
Tank Gun Ammunition (Europe) March 2011 (available here)
105MM APFSDS-T "EXCALIBUR" Tank Round - General Ammunition Discussion - International Ammunition Association Web Forum - images only