Insurgents using Chinese armor-piercing bullets
Human Events has an interesting article about the use of Chinese armor-piercing bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan by insurgents.
China’s robust arms industry has been able to duplicate U.S.-made, armor-piercing rounds, and the bullets are being found with the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Two government sources tell HUMAN EVENTS the sniper ammunition is sending alarm bells through the Pentagon as it hurries to keep pace by producing improved body armor for soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors.
The sources said the Chinese munitions are not thought capable of defeating the super-hard ceramic plates that now protect service members against smalls-arms fire, including armor-piercing bullets.
I know very little about AP ammunition. Does anyone know if M948 (7.62mm Saboted Light Armor Penetrator) or M993 (7.62mm AP) can penetrate Type IV ballistic vests and a ceramic plate insert?
AP bullets. Click to expand. Image from DTIC.mil.
Defense Review discusses the implications of this and its potential impact on the mythical XSAPI armor plates that are in development.
Hat Tip: Defense Review
Pinnacle armor has a ballistic chart which puts M948 and M993 under Level V:
http://www.pinnaclearmor.com/body-armor/ballistic-chart.php
Shane, thanks for the link.
Pinnacle Armor is a piece of crap. It weighted more and offer less protection then the standard IBA that our troops are using. The CEO is being investigated for fraud. The US Army spend over $1,00,000 trying to defend themselves that their testing of pinnacle armor was flawed. As far as I know, the US military has cut all ties to Pinnacle Armor.
The current ESAPI that the US military are using is rated to protect at least one 30-06 API round.
Tungsten core is what make a small arms bullet AP. Steel, lead, and aluminum core are not AP. Tungsten are use because they have the highest melting point and tensile strength. In other worlds, when the tungsten bullet hit a hard object like steel it doesn’t deform. It keep its shape. In fact you can reuse tungsten bullet if you want too. I have a few pictures where .50 cal AP embedded it self in hard still and the bullet is in prefect shape (no deformity). I’ll try to post the pictures once I get home, if I can find them that is.
Any ammo company or anybody can make AP with the right machine. It’s not like its high tech or anything that require deep knowledge of ballistic. AP bullets use a different material at its core. So the reporter as usual has no idea what he/she is talking about.
Here are the pictures. The AP round either penetrated or embed inside the steel platel without any deformity. Some of these pictures are over 10 years old. I did not take any of these pictures it was posted on gun boards over the years.
http://rpginn.com/xgalleryx/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37287&g2_serialNumber=1
http://rpginn.com/xgalleryx/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37289&g2_serialNumber=1
http://rpginn.com/xgalleryx/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37291&g2_serialNumber=1
http://rpginn.com/xgalleryx/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37293&g2_serialNumber=1
http://rpginn.com/xgalleryx/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37297&g2_serialNumber=1
http://rpginn.com/xgalleryx/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37299&g2_serialNumber=1
This one I remember. The plate is M2 steel and the bullet is .50 cal.
http://rpginn.com/xgalleryx/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=37295&g2_serialNumber=1
Tungsten core bullet aren’t new. They been around pre WWI or earlier. Every major countries have them in their stockpile. So for the life in me I don’t understand what they mean by copy.
jdun1911, great photos! Thanks for posting them.
blah, silly reporting to uninformed worry wort do-gooders. Any of us can buy AP rounds on the white market here in the US, never mind the black market. Like jdun1911 says, they aren’t exactly high tech. Insurgents using DU rounds would be something to worry about. Steel core penetrators are flat out common. Tungsten core 7.62×39 shouldn’t be a prob for ESAPI plates if it even exists. Tungsten core 7.62×54R or .308 might be, but insurgent snipers are more likely to just go for head and armpit shots at <100yds like the Baghdad snipers.
Nobody is surprised by Chinese copying US arms or munitions, they have been doing it for decades.
Nice Pics jdun, I guess you could reuse the penetrator, you’d have to rejacket it obviously though – PITA
So why do we do business and buy military contracts with these Commies that arm tthe scum that kill our men??
“The current ESAPI that the US military are using is rated to protect at least one 30-06 API round. “
It’s actually M2AP, STEEL core 30-06, no incendiary component in it.
penetration bullet type 7.62/51in steel wall –find thicness rang to became final velosity zero
bullet fired 7.62 penetration steel range thickness in chart