Author Description

The capability of off-the shelf medium caliber ammunition has been advertised extensively. As the decision about the main armament for imminent medium caliber platforms approaches, more definitive independent analyses of the advertised systems are being conducted. To increase the current database, an evaluation of the 40-mm cased telescoped weapon system (CTWS) was coordinated between the U.S. Government and CTA International (CTAI), a French-United Kingdom company. The emphasis of this evaluation was the performance of the armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding sabot (APFSDS) projectile. In addition, the pressures inside the Bradley fighting vehicle, where the CTWS was mounted, and shock measurements on the exterior of the vehicle were taken to estimate the effect of the weapon system on the vehicle and the crew The evaluation of the terminal effects of the APFSDS against selected Senior National Representatives (SNR)-defined range targets is documented in a separate, classified version of the evaluation. The APFSDS ammunition performed as advertised, with a muzzle velocity of approximately 1640 m/s and a velocity decay of 0.12 m/s/m. These values give the 40-min CTAI APFSDS a high velocity at the target for typical engagement distances. The measured shock to the vehicle and overpressures within the vehicle during firing all appear to be at acceptable levels for these initial tests.