There are four primary types of ammunition used by rail cannons (60mm and above): 1) Kinetic Penetrator Fragmentation (KPF), 2) Single Rod Penetrator (SRP), 3) Multiple Rod Penetrator (MRP), and 4) High Explosive Fragmentation (HEF). All rounds are fired with a discarding sabot. The MRP has two sabots.
- Kinetic Penetrator Fragmentation (KPF)
These rounds have a solid armor piercing tip that disconnects from the rear section soon after exiting the muzzle. The less aerodynamic rear section contains an explosive charge and shrapnel fragments. In the delayed fragmentation mode, moments after the kinetic penetrator impacts, the delayed rear section travels through the breach and explodes. In external fragmentation mode, the rear section explodes before it enters the breach. Delayed fragmentation is usually used against buildings or lightly armored vehicles while external fragmentation is used against more heavily armored vehicles to damage external systems.
- Single Rod Penetrator (SRP)
These rounds consist of one long, slender rod that is capable of penetrating the thickest of armor.
-Multiple Rod Penetrator (MRP)
These rounds are made up of seven rods similar to the SRP, only smaller. They are enclosed in a canister before being fired and separate from each other upon exiting the muzzle. Although each individual rod does not contain the same amount of kinetic energy as the SRP, they are still more effective against armor than the KPF’s kinetic penetrator tip. These rounds are used primarily against light to medium armored targets.
-High Explosive/Fragmentation (HEF)
These rounds consist entirely of explosive material and a fragmenting shell. These are mostly used as long-range airburst weapons or against groups of infantry.
The three most common calibers are 60mm, 90mm, and 120mm (measurement taken from the sabot, not the actual round). The rounds on the left are shown with the sabots and the ones on the right are without (since the MRP has two sabots, they are duplicated a third time).
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