IFV and Tank Ammunition

This article is a part of Arma 3 Asset Guides.

Target Types
Heavy Armor	Heavily armed and armored vehicles with a mix of passive and active protection measures e.g. composite/reactive and slat/cage armor, trophy systems, ERA blocks, etc. Ex. M1A1, T-72.
Medium Armor	Assets that strike a balance between protection, mobility, and firepower. Sometimes includes modern active and passive protection measures listed above. Ex. BMP-4, M60A2, Bradley.
Light Armor	Fast and agile, these vehicles still maintain basic protection against small arms fire and shrapnel. Ex. HMMWV, BRDM-2, and Tigr.
Structures	Buildings, bunkers, etc.

Rounds with '-T' and '-FS' suffixed indicates tracer or fin-stabilized, respectively.

APFSDS

Example APFSDS shell.

Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot
Use	Effective against armored targets. The kinetic energy penetrator uses a narrow, long sabot which is discarded after firing, allowing for high muzzle velocity and armor penetration capabilities. Weak against unarmored vehicles due to over-penetration unless fired at crew, frame or engine block.
Strength	Light, Medium, Heavy Armor
Weakness	Unarmored vehicles, Infantry

An APFSDS round being fired (click if .gif doesn't animate)

An APFSDS round hitting its target.

SABOT

See APFSDS above.

ATGM

Anti-Tank Guided Missile
Use	ATGMs are designed to defeat heavy armor. Using guidance tech such as MCLOS/SACLOS, laser and/or IR guidance, these missiles can track and strike armor from long distance. ATGMs often use shaped charge warheads similar to HEAT rounds, enabling them to defeat 600m+ of RHA.
Strength	Light, Medium, Heavy Armor
Weakness	Fast-moving, small targets

Some ATGM rounds are designated as bunker busters, and destroy structures. I.e. BGM-71E for the TOW.

MPAT

Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank
Use	MPAT is a versatile tank ammunition used for anti-armor and anti-personnel purposes. It features a multi-mode fuse that enables impact detonation, delay, and airburst modes. Against armored targets, it acts as an armor-piercing round to defeat enemy tanks. In airburst mode, it defeats soft targets by dispersing frag over a wide area, making it effective against infantry and other unarmored threats.
Strength	Light, Medium Armor, Infantry
Weakness	Heavy Armor

HE

An HE-T (tracer) round.

High-Explosive
Use	High-Explosive rounds are designed to maximize damage through a large blast radius, making them effective against a variety of targets, including enemy personnel, structures, and lightly armored or unarmored vehicles. Upon impact, these rounds detonate and unleash a powerful explosion, causing significant blast damage and producing lethal fragments or shrapnel. While they aren't designed to penetrate heavy armor, their blast effect can still incapacitate or damage armored vehicles by targeting weak points such as vision ports or tracks.
Strength	Structures, L Armor, Unarmored vehicles, Inf.
Weakness	M, H Armor

An HE round hitting its target.

HEAT

HEAT rounds.

High-Explosive Anti-Tank
Use	A type of shell that uses a shaped charge to penetrate armor. It does not rely on kinetic energy to defeat armor, unlike APFSDS rounds, and is therefore effective at any range.
Strength	Light, (Some) Medium Armor
Weakness	Medium, Heavy armor equipped w/ modern countermeasures

A HEAT round striking its target.

HEDP

High Explosive Dual Purpose
Use	Designed for use against a wide variety of target types, including both armored vehicles and structures or fortifications. The round combines the capabilities of a high-explosive round with a shaped charge, allowing it to defeat armor while also causing significant blast damage. The shaped charge enables penetration of armored targets, while the high-explosive component creates a blast effect that is effective against light structures, personnel, and other non-armored targets
Strength	Structures, Light, (Some) Medium Armor, Infantry
Weakness	Medium, Heavy armor equipped w/ modern countermeasures

HESH

Example 120mm HESH shell.

High-Explosive Squash Head
Use	When a HESH round hits a target, the plastic explosive within the round spreads out or “squashes” against the surface before detonating. This creates a shock wave that travels through the armor, causing spalling on the inside surface. The resulting high-velocity fragments can incapacitate or kill the crew and damage internal equipment. HESH rounds are particularly effective against older tanks and armored vehicles without modern composite or reactive armor.
Strength	Older tanks, armored vehicles without modern composite or reactive armor, structures.
Weakness	Modern composite armor, reactive armor, and heavily armored vehicles.

A HESH round colliding with enemy armor.

Canister

Example 120mm canister shell.

Also known as Case Shot or Grape Shot
Use	Designed primarily for anti-personnel and anti-materiel use in close combat situations. The canister round is essentially a large shotgun shell, filled with numerous small, round projectiles resembling ball bearings.
Strength	Unarmored Vehicles, Infantry
Weakness	Armor

GPR

General Purpose Round
Use	A versatile round that is designed to be effective against a variety of targets, including both armored vehicles and soft targets. It includes a tracer element to allow the gunner to track the trajectory of the round and adjust their aim as necessary. The specific effects of a GPR-T can vary widely based on the specific design and use.
Strength	Structures, Light, Medium Armor, Unarmored vehicles, Infantry, varying depending on design
Weakness	Heavy Armor, unless specifically designed to penetrate such armor.

APBC

Armor-Piercing Ballistic Capped
Use	APBC-T rounds have a ballistic cap, improving its aerodynamic properties, and thus increasing velocity and range. The round also has a hardened core that can pierce through armor. The tracer element is included to allow gunners to observe the trajectory of the round and adjust their aim accordingly.
Strength	Light, Medium Armor
Weakness	Heavy armor equipped w/ modern countermeasures

APCR

Armor-Piercing Composite Rigid
Use	Used against heavily armored targets. The round consists of a dense, hard core made from a high-mass material (like tungsten or depleted uranium), encased in a lighter shell or jacket. This design allows the round to maintain a high velocity while concentrating the force of the impact on a small area, effectively penetrating the enemy armor. It was primarily used in World War II when more advanced armor-piercing rounds were not yet available. The lighter casing or shell is discarded upon firing or impact, depending on the design. Weak against unarmored vehicles unless fired at frame or engine block.
Strength	Light, (Some) Medium Armor
Weakness	Medium and Heavy Armor equipped w/ modern countermeasures, Unarmored vehicles, Inf.

APDS

Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot
Use	Designed for defeating armored targets. Similar to APFSDS, APDS rounds consist of a dense, hard penetrator, such as tungsten or depleted uranium, surrounded by a lighter material known as a 'sabot.' Upon firing, the sabot is discarded, and the penetrator continues towards the target at a high velocity. The narrow, dense penetrator is capable of piercing through armor due to its high kinetic energy. The main difference from APFSDS is the lack of fins on the penetrator, which makes APDS rounds slightly less accurate at long ranges. Weak against unarmored vehicles unless fired at frame or engine block.
Strength	Light, Medium, (Some) Heavy Armor
Weakness	Unarmored Vehicles, Infantry (due to overpenetration and lack of explosive damage)

APHE

Armor-Piercing High-Explosive
Use	Designed for maximum damage against armored targets. The round penetrates the armor of the target using a hardened tip or cap, and then explodes once inside the target, causing significant internal damage. The combination of initial kinetic damage and subsequent explosive damage makes this round highly lethal against armored vehicles. Its use is not as common in modern warfare due to the advent of more specialized anti-armor rounds, but it remains effective in certain combat scenarios.
Strength	Unarmored Vehicles, (Some) Light and Medium Armor
Weakness	Light, Medium and Heavy Armor w/ Modern Protection Measures

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