Allies reinforce Leopard 2 tanks in service with powerful Mk 324 shells (photo)
Western partners have provided Ukrainian crews of Leopard 2 tanks with improved DM11 120 mm programmable tank multipurpose shells, which are in service with the Bundeswehr and the US Marine Corps under the designation Mk 324.
This was reported on November 15 by Militarnyi’s columnists.
The publication says that the appearance of this ammunition in Ukraine became known from photographs of tubes with the inscription “Mk 324 Mod 0 MP-HE-T”. These tubes were handed over to the Makariv Museum of History and Local Lore.
“This abbreviation is typical for the German DM11 projectile and stands for a multifunctional programmable fragmentation projectile,” observers noted, adding that the Ukrainian military most likely received the projectiles from the United States.
What is known about DM11 tank ammunition
The DM11 rounds are designed to neutralize covered and uncovered anti-tank missile positions, engage infantry, destroy hidden targets in buildings, destroy light armored targets, and destroy targets at long combat ranges.
Western experts claim that Rheinmetall’s DM11 ammunition is more effective than most similar models.
The peculiarity of the projectile is that it supports three modes of operation:
- Localized spot detonation (LSP);
- delayed detonation (mV);
- explosion without delay (oV).
The LSP mode is intended primarily against enemy manpower in the open, the mV mode is effective when firing at targets behind cover, and the oV mode provides for instant detonation of the warhead when it meets the target.
This is possible due to the design of the ammunition, which is equipped with a detonator and a programmable timer. After charging, the electronic detonator is programmed to detonate at a certain time interval at specified coordinates.
The ballistic tip contains 6,000 tungsten balls and an explosive weighing 2.17 kg, which, when detonated from the heavy shell body, creates 9 kg of steel fragments.
The latest versions of the Leopard 2 tank, armed with the L55 cannon, can fire a DM11 projectile at speeds of up to 1000 m/s. The range of the enemy’s manpower in LSP mode is 5000 meters.
