THE SUPERIOR TUNGSTEN PROJECTILE | Tungsten Carbide vs Tungsten Alloy Armour Piercing Simulation

Tungsten Carbide (WC) and Tungsten Alloy (WHA) are both common materials in armour piercing projectiles, but how do they compare against spaced armour?

The simulation presents the L28A1 APDS round against the upper plate of the MBT/KPZ-70 from 800m away. This round featured a WC core, which is susceptible to shattering. The simulation compares this to L52 APDS (M728), which used a WHA core instead. WHA is denser and tougher than WC so is favoured for high performance projectiles.

Both of these projectiles are APDS rounds from the 105mm L7 cannon, with L28 and L52 entering service in the 1950's and 60's respectively. Both were license produced in other countries, such as the US and Sweden, but interestingly, West Germany only used L28 (DM13) until it adopted APFSDS in the late 70's.

At 1000m, L28 and L52 can perforate a 120mm and 130mm plate at 60°, respectively, however L28's performance drops much faster against increased obliquity or spaced armour.