Is number of HEAT rounds always fixed in scenarios and significantly smaller than Sabot?

I have noticed that more than few times I am running out of them while pounding infantry from the distance.

Also, and that was surprise to me... I was "eye to eye" with the enemy tank, but hull down well enough so all (his and mine)sabot rounds were bouncing off the ground in front. I fired HEAT and different trajectory lobbed and killed him on the spot. Without me poking out from behind my cover and risking my life.

No, it's just the default setting. Adjust it through the ammunition context menu in the mission editor.

Further trials prove that Heat vs tank is rather wastful proposition. But for that sneaking infantry seems to be just right medicine.

Hi Polak sometimes at very long distance 3000+ meters with a tank in a good hull down position and sabots wont kill it, then sometimes a nice heat at such long distance actualy lands on top of the tank, where armour is thin and will give you a kill! How many times you slap your ai gunner last game, hehe.
See you on the battleefield!

Lonny

Quick query: just how effective are HEAT rounds against infantry in the 'real world?' (I understand one of the advantages of the British 'Squash Head' is that it doubles as HE very effectively.) Are the M-1 and/or Leo 2's HEAt rounds designed with anti-personnel effectiveness in mind? How closely does SB Pro PE model this?

Anyone?

Robert

Officially in the US HEAT has a secondary anti-personnel effect. In practise, I would wager this is because there's nothing else to do the job. At least, not until the recent cannister deployment (which is limited range) and possibly MPAT, which is a low-bang HEAT round anyway.

It's not as good as a regular HE-Frag or HESH round, no. But better than nothing, you still wouldn't want to be too close to a HEAT round going off. Bear in mind that ATGMs have been used in a bunker-busting role, for example.

NTM

Er, what does "low-bang' mean? A lighter charge? MPAT is an anti-helicopter round, is it not?

Robert

It's a HEAT round combined with a fuze that can be set to proximity, impact, and delayed impact. In addition it is a saboted round for higher muzzle velocity - which inevitably reduces the penetration power of the hollow charge (since they scale pretty much linearly with the cone diameter).

With the laser based proximity sensor the round can be used against helicopters; the delayed impact fuze is best suited for obstacle reduction and bunker busting, the impact mode is like standard HEAT rounds (M830), just weaker.

Still, the MPAT usually is the better choice because of its higher versatility.

Not quite: MPAT is proximity and impact only.

HE-OR, probably more accurately known as MPAT-OR, is the Obstacle Reducing round. It has a delayed impact fuse, and a hardened nosecap, but is other than the fuse and nosecap the same round as MPAT.

They are different rounds, not selectable like the 3P rounds.

NTM

Ah ... OK.

(Cripes! You guys know your scheisse--I feel like a first grader at a Harvard seminar...)

Uhm, the MPAT is a HEAT round? How is it that a shaped-charged round is designed for high muzzle velocity? Is thio--given that is an "Obstacle Reducing" round"--so it might bury itself deeply before exploding, and thus(?) possibly be more damaging to fortifications?

No, I am not a professor of particle physics, why?

Robert

The high muzzle velocity was desired to increase the hit probability against helicopters (long engagement ranges, often high speeds ... that made APFSDS the best choice but required a direct hit). Besides, the "higher" muzzle velocity of MPAT (around 1400m/s as opposed to 1150m/s for old M830 or DM12) isn't that much higher. Typical APFSDS rounds' v0 are around 1600m/s with much better drag coefficients so that they lose speed much slower than MPAT.