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A high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead is a type of munition made of an explosive shaped charge that employs the Munroe effect, to create a high velocity partial stream of metal in a state of superplasticity, which is used to penetrate solid vehicle armour. == History == HEAT warheads were developed during World War II, from extensive research and development into shaped charge warheads. Shaped charge warheads were promoted internationally by the Swiss inventor Henry Mohaupt, who exhibited the weapon before World War II. Before 1939, Mohaupt demonstrated his invention to British and French ordnance authorities. Concurrent development by the German inventors group of Cranz, Schardin, and Thomanek led to the first documented use of shaped charges in warfare, during the successful assault on the fortress of Eben Emael on 10 May 1940. Claims for priority of invention are difficult to resolve due to subsequent historic interpretations, secrecy, espionage, and international commercial interest.〔Donald R. Kennedy, ''History of the Shaped Charge Effect, The First 100 Years — USA – 1983'', Defense Technology Support Services Publication, 1983〕 The first British HEAT weapon to be developed and issued was a rifle grenade using a cup launcher on the end of the rifle barrel; the Grenade, Rifle No. 68 /AT which was first issued to the British Armed Forces in the year 1940. This has some claim to have been the first HEAT warhead and launcher in use. The design of the warhead was simple and was capable of penetrating of armour.〔R F Eather, BSc & N Griffithe, OBE MSc – ''Some Historical Aspects of the Development of Shaped Charges'' – Ministry of Defence, Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment – 1984 – page 6 – AD-A144 098〕 The fuze of the grenade was armed by removing a pin in the tail which prevented the firing pin from flying forward. Simple fins gave it stability in the air and, provided the grenade hit the target at the proper angle of 90 degrees, the charge would be effective. Detonation occurred on impact, when a striker in the tail of the grenade overcame the resistance of a creep spring and was thrown forward into a stab detonator. By mid-1940, Germany introduced the first HEAT round to be fired by a gun, the fired by the Kw.K.37 L/24 of the Panzer IV tank and the Stug III self-propelled gun (7.5 cm Gr.38 Hl/A, later editions B and C). In mid-1941, Germany started the production of HEAT rifle-grenades, first issued to paratroopers and, by 1942, to the regular army units (''Gewehr-Panzergranate 40'', ''46'' and ''61''), but, just as did the British, soon turned to integrated warhead-delivery systems: In 1943 the ''Püppchen'', ''Panzerschreck'' and ''Panzerfaust'' were introduced. The ''Panzerfaust'' and ''Panzerschreck'' (tank terror) gave the German infantryman the ability to destroy any tank on the battlefield from 50–150 metres with relative ease of use and training (unlike the British PIAT). The Germans made use of large quantities of HEAT ammunition in converted 7.5 cm Pak 97/38 guns from 1942, also fabricating a HEAT warhead for the ''Mistel'' weapon. The latter weighed nearly two tons and was perhaps the largest HEAT warhead ever deployed. It was intended for use against heavily armoured battleships. Meanwhile, the British No. 68 AT rifle grenade was proving to be too light to deal significant damage, resulting in it rarely being used in action. Due to these limits, a new infantry anti-tank weapon was needed, and this ultimately came in the form of the projector infantry anti-tank PIAT. By 1942, the PIAT had been developed by Major Millis Jefferis. It was a combination of a HEAT warhead with a spigot mortar delivery system. While cumbersome, the weapon allowed British infantry to engage armour at range for the first time. The earlier magnetic hand-mines and grenades required them to approach dangerously near.〔Ian Hogg, ''Grenades and Mortars'' Weapons Book #37, 1974, Ballantine Books〕 During World War II the British referred to the Monroe effect as the "cavity effect on explosives".〔("The Bazookas Grandfather." ) ''Popular Science'', February 1945, p. 66, 2nd paragraph.〕 During the war, the French communicated Henry Mohaupt's technology to the U.S. Ordnance Department, and he was invited to the USA, where he worked as a consultant on the Bazooka project. The need for a large bore made HEAT rounds relatively ineffective in existing small-caliber anti-tank guns of the era. The Germans were able to capitalize on this, introducing a round that was placed over the end on the outside of their otherwise obsolete anti-tank guns to produce a medium-range low-velocity weapon. Adaptations to existing tank guns were somewhat more difficult, although all major forces had done so by the end of the war. Since velocity has little effect on the armor-piercing ability of the round, which is defined by explosive power, HEAT rounds were particularly useful in long-range combat where slower terminal velocity wes not an issue. The Germans were again the ones to produce the most capable gun-fired HEAT rounds, using a driving band on bearings to allow it to fly unspun from their existing rifled tank guns. The HEAT round was particularly useful to them because it allowed the low-velocity large-bore guns used on their many assault guns to also become useful anti-tank weapons. Likewise, the Germans, Italians, and Japanese had in service many obsolescent ''infantry guns'', short-barreled, low-velocity artillery pieces capable of direct and indirect fire and intended for infantry support, similar in tactical role to mortars; generally an infantry battalion had a battery of four or six. High-explosive anti-tank rounds for these old infantry guns made them semi-useful anti-tank guns, particularly the German guns (the Japanese 70 mm Type 92 battalion gun and Italian 65 mm mountain gun also had HEAT rounds available for them by 1944 but they were not very effective). High-explosive anti-tank rounds caused a revolution in anti-tank warfare when they were first introduced in the later stages of World War II. One infantryman could effectively destroy any existing tank with a handheld weapon, thereby dramatically altering the nature of mobile operations. During World War II, weapons using HEAT warheads were termed ''hollow charge'' or ''shape charge'' warheads.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「High-explosive anti-tank warhead」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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