The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Iraq Loads Up On 120mm
by James Dunnigan
December 6, 2014
Iraq recently ordered 46,000 120mm tank gun rounds for its hundred or so M1 tanks. Iraq has more M1s on the way. Each of these shells is about 880mm-990mm (34-39 inches) long and weighs from 17-25 kg (38-55 pounds). Three different types of shells were ordered, in quantities of 10,000 each. The M83 is a high explosive shell used against structures or entrenched troops. The M865 is an anti-tank training round. These training rounds are made of cheaper materials (because they don’t have to actually penetrate a lot of armor) and are also designed with features that make them safer to use in training. Another batch contains the M865 KEW, which is a more expensive combat version of the basic M865. Then there are 16,000 M830 HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank) which use a shaped charge to penetrate armor or anything else or, because this round uses explosives rather than speed to penetrate it is also useful against structures.
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