Common properties:

Projectile mass        19,000g
Projectile length      680mm
Charge mass            1,624..1,850g
Muzzle velocity        905m/s
Max.dispersion         0.21mil
EFC rating             1
Chamber pressure       300MPa
Extended fins span     343mm
Rear tracer; point-initiating, base-detonating (PIBD) fuse

HEAT-FS rounds:

• 3P-11 practice HEAT round

  3VP-5 (3P-11 projectile) (DOI unknown)
  Practice HEAT round (same mass and behaviour as HEAT-FS, but inert)
  

• 3BK-18M round

  3VBK-7 (3BK-12 projectile) (DOI 1962)
  420mm RHA at 0°; Steel liner; A-IX-1 charge (flegmatized RDX); I-238 detonator
  3BK-12M modernization utilizes improved 3V-15 detonator (DOI 1968)
• 3VBK-10 (3BK-14 projectile) (DOI 1968)
  450mm RHA at 0°; Steel liner; octol charge (flegmatized 75% HMX/25% TNT); 3V-15 detonator
• 3VBK-16 (3BK-18 projectile) (DOI est.1975)
  500mm RHA at 0°; Copper liner; octol charge; 3V-15 detonator
  3BK-18M modernization introduces wave-shaper boosting penetration by 10% (DOI est.1978)
  550mm RHA at 0°; Copper liner; octol charge; 3V-15 detonator
• 3VBK-17 (3BK-21 projectile) (DOI est.1980)
  Complex of measures to improve jet formation reliability
  550mm RHA at 0°; Copper liner; octol charge; 3V-15 detonator
  3BK-21B model (DOI est.1982)
  520mm RHA at 0°; DU liner for improved performance on advanced armors and enhanced behind-armor effects.
• 3VBK-21 (3BK-25 projectile) (est.DOI 1985)
  Unknown performance and round configuration
  

• 3BK-29M round

  3VBK-25 (3BK-29 projectile) (est.DOI 1988)
  New explosive pressing technology improves jet precision
  Weight reduced to 18,400g; MV boosted to 915m/s
  Est.650mm RHA at 0°; Unknown liner; tandem charge
  3BK-29M presented by NIMI in 1998; unknown improvements over 3BK-29
  
• 3VBK-25I (3BK-29I projectile) (est.DOI 1988)
  Practice HEAT round that matches 3BK-29's flatter trajectory

• 3BK-31? round

  3VBK-27? (3BK-31? projectile) (in development?)
  800mm RHA at 0°
  680mm RHA at 0° behind external ERA
  660mm RHA at 0° behind integral ERA
  Unknown liner; triple charge

  An experimental HEAT round (according to some sources, designated 3BK-31), was first displayed on VTTV-97 exhibition in Omsk. Its cutaway shows a very complex and ingenious design, including shaped-charge precursor, the channel through the middle charge to allow passage of the rear jet and so on. The round is credited with 800mm RHA penetration which was illustrated by a picture of a 800mm penetration route. The picture shows that designers probably deliberately misaligned the charges so that the middle jet doesn't need to penetrate the core of the rear one. If the color of the liner is the same as that on the real round, it indicates that it is not copper, and therefore may have improved performance against ceramic armors.

  3BK-31? is designed to defeat vehicles with external ERA, integral ERA and/or composite armor main structure; the precursor charge trips ERA, the first main charge conditions advanced armor array and initiates penetration, and the last achieves destructive penetration. The sequence of charges detonation is precursor -> rear charge -> middle charge.

  800mm pen. route by a demonstrated round

This page is © 1998-2007, Василий Фофанов.
With contributions by Vasiliy Chobitok.