Scramjet Sabot Round

BrotherofSnake

Junior Member
The U.S. Army is testing a supersonic projectile that could drastically increase the killing power of future tanks.

The Armaments Research Development and Engineering Center, at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., will test a supersonic combustion ramjet—scramjet—designed to improve the penetrating power of tank guns.

The scramjet, like common jet engines, burns fuel mixed with compressed atmospheric oxygen. However, unlike traditional jets, the scramjet has no compressor disks or other moving parts to compress the air. Hot air entering the scramjet inlets at four times the speed of sound, ignites the fuel and sustains combustion, so the scramjet itself contains pure fuel without wasting weight and volume of a separate oxidizer.

As it emerges ignited from a cannon barrel, a scramjet-powered tank round could produce thrust in flight to extend its range or sustain its penetrating power all the way to the target.

Source:
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
Nice! That could really be useful, it was really getting frustrating i think, having the ability to spot and target the enemy miles away but not having enough penetrating power to destroy them at that range. I just wonder how much would such rounds cost. In theory, scramjet should be so simple to construct but all these strong materials and special manufacturing... maybe it'd be wiser then, if price is too big, to resort to gun fired guided missiles like russians have.
 

sumdud

Senior Member
VIP Professional
I don't find it practical, especially in smoothbore cannons that are more common in tanks today.

What's the point? Tank battles are usually around 2-3000m, and rounds go at mach 4 or 5, so you don't have time to burn your fuel anyway before it goes kaboom, then there is the time for the action to take effect. And will it fly accurately? It's a complete downgrade. I find it impractical.
 

BrotherofSnake

Junior Member
This round is actually a lot better than the KE rounds that are currently deployed. A normal KE round would lose velocity as it travels down to the target, but the scramjet rounds would substain its penetrating power all the way to the target. Scramjet rounds also have morerange than normal KE rounds. :D
 
Top