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35-456: Typical of a modern HEIAP shell is the Raufoss Mk 211 designed for weapons such as heavy machine guns and anti-materiel rifles . The primary purpose of these munitions is armor penetration with better beyond-armor effects. Similarly to SLAP rounds ( saboted light armor penetrator ) which get their armor-piercing ability from the propulsion of a 7.62 mm tungsten heavy alloy bullet from

70-560: A bipod in the light machine gun role or on a tripod or other weapon mount as medium machine guns. An example was the Hotchkiss M1909 machine gun weighing 27.6 lb (12.2 kg) fitted with a mini-tripod and using linkable 30-round ammunition strips, but there was also a belt-fed version. This type of multipurpose machine gun would be further developed, and later given names such as "universal machine gun", and later "general-purpose machine gun", and would eventually supplant

105-430: A weapons platform to be operably stable or tactically mobile , have more formidable firepower , and generally require a team of personnel for operation and maintenance. There are two classes of weapons generally defined as HMGs: The term originally referred to the generation of machine guns which came to prominence in the lead up to and during World War I . These fired standard full-power rifle cartridges such as

140-510: A 12.7 mm barrel (.50 caliber) using a sabot with much more energy than is usually possible from a 7.62 mm round, HEIAP munitions utilize a similar theory with an added explosive effect at the end. The special effect is developed when the round strikes the target. The initial collision ignites the incendiary material in the tip, triggering the detonation of the HE charge. The second ( zirconium powder) incendiary charge will also ignite. This burns at

175-491: A 24-inch barrel. A famous photo of Maxim showed him picking it up by its 15-pound tripod (6.8 kg) with one arm. It was similar to present-day medium machine guns, but it could not be fired for extended periods due to overheating. As a result, Maxim created a water jacket cooling system to enable it to fire for extended periods. However, this added significant weight, as did the change to more powerful rifle cartridges. There were thus two main types of heavy, rapid-fire weapons:

210-525: A characteristic fragmentation pattern with large pieces dispersed in a 30-degree cone. The Mk 211 is a very popular .50 caliber sniper round used in the Barrett M82 rifle and other .50 BMG rifles. It is also often used in heavy machine guns such as the M2 Browning . Due to its popularity, several U.S. arms manufacturers produce the round under license from NAMMO Raufoss AS. However, due to

245-548: A mass of under 400 grams is forbidden. However, that declaration does not govern the conduct of non-signatory parties. However, the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 – which superseded the St. Petersburg Declaration, and were signed by a far wider circle of nations – do permit the use of such ammunition for autocannon and heavy machine guns. Machine guns firing .50 cal./12.7mm ammunition are heavy machine guns. At best,

280-514: A very effective tactic in vehicle-centered warfare, and the significantly lighter air-cooled designs could nearly match the capabilities of the water-cooled versions. Gatling -type machine guns such as the Minigun and GShG-7.62 reappeared after World War II. These are typically mounted on ships and helicopters because of their weight and large ammunition requirements due to their extremely high rate of fire. The need for sustained automatic fire on

315-417: A very high temperature, is not easily extinguished, and can last up to 15 minutes. The remaining element of the round is the tungsten carbide penetrator. This has a large amount of kinetic energy and will penetrate the armor as a solid-cored armor-piercing shot would. This takes the incendiary material and about 20 steel fragments (created by the explosives), delivering them in a 25–30 degree cone through

350-411: A well-trained crew could fire nonstop for hours, given sufficient ammunition, replacement barrels and cooling water. Carefully positioned HMGs could stop an attacking force before they reached their objectives. However, during the same period a number of lighter and more portable air-cooled designs were developed weighing less than 30 lbs (15 kg). In World War I they were to be as important as

385-560: Is a .50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO) multi-purpose anti-materiel high-explosive incendiary/armor-piercing ammunition projectile produced by Nammo under the model name NM140 MP . It is commonly referred to as multipurpose or Raufoss , meaning red waterfall in Norwegian. This refers to Nammo's precursor company Raufoss Ammunisjonsfabrikker , an ammunition manufacturer established 1896 in Raufoss , Norway. The "Mk 211" name comes from

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420-400: The 7.92×57mm Mauser , 7.7×56mmR (.303 British) or 7.62×54mmR , but featured heavy construction, elaborate mountings and water-cooling mechanisms that enabled long-range sustained automatic fire with excellent accuracy. However, these advantages came at the cost of being too cumbersome to move and required a crew of several soldiers to operate them. Thus, in this sense, the "heavy" aspect of

455-462: The German Empire 's 13.2×92mmSR caliber MG 18 TuF ( Maschinengewehr 18 Tank und Flieger , 'Machinegun 18 Tank and Aircraft') during World War I , these weapons are designed to provide increased range, penetration and destructive power against vehicles, buildings, aircraft and light fortifications beyond the standard rifle calibers used in medium or general-purpose machine gun, or

490-656: The MG 08 and the Vickers, as well as the American M1917 Browning machine gun , were all substantial weapons. The .303 Vickers, for example, weighed 33 lb (15 kg) and was mounted on a tripod that brought the total weight to 50 lb (23 kg). The heavier designs could, and in some cases did, fire for days on end, mainly in fixed defensive positions to repel infantry attacks. These machine guns were typically mounted on tripods and were water-cooled, and

525-457: The Nordenfelt gun and Gardner gun were often made in a variety of calibers, such as 0.5-inch and 1-inch. Due to their multiple barrels, overheating was not so much of an issue, but they were also quite heavy. When Maxim developed his recoil-powered Maxim gun using a single barrel, his first main design weighed a modest 26 pounds (11.8 kg) and fired a .45-inch rifle-caliber bullet from

560-517: The Vickers , and Russia with the PM M1910 ). The modern definition refers to a class of machine guns chambered in "heavy caliber" ammunition, generally with a minimum bullet diameter of 12mm, a minimum cartridge case length of 80mm and a minimum bullet weight of 500 grain , but below a bullet diameter of 20mm which are considered "medium caliber" ammunition for autocannons . Pioneered by

595-601: The ZB vz. 30 , the Bren , the MG34 and the MG42 . The heavier designs continued to be used throughout World War II and into the 1960s, but were gradually phased out in favor of air-cooled designs. The mediums were now used both as medium machine guns while mounted on tripods and as light machine guns while mounted on bipods. This was possible in part because a heavy, static MG position was not

630-468: The ICRC's position can be applied to only the group of nations that were parties to the St. Petersburg Declaration. Trials conducted by Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt (Norwegian Defence Research Establishment) have concluded that the ammunition most likely does not have an unlawful effect if unintentionally used against personnel, as the round will have penetrated the body and exited on the other side before

665-415: The armor, increasing lethality. The triggering of the explosive charge is dependent upon the resistance of the target. If the target offers little resistance then the lack of frictional heating will prevent the incendiary from igniting and the high explosive from detonating. Exploding ammunition was used by both Allied and German forces during World War II . Raufoss Mk 211 The Raufoss Mk 211

700-426: The complex structure of the projectile and consequently high costs (ca US$ 75 per round), the popularity is restricted to special mission profiles. The Mk 211/NM140 is graded into two accuracy classes: Class A is match grade ammunition, while Class B is ordinary linked ammunition for machine gun use. Under the international (or Norwegian) NM nomenclature, revisions are indicated by a trailing "F n ", with "F3" being

735-574: The current revision as of 2020. There is also a tracer variant, the Mk 30/NM160 in Norwegian service, used in the Browning heavy machine gun. The "DT" (IR tracer) variant called NM 263 is not used by the US. This round is usually identified by a green over white paint tip mark. Its tracer variant, which is typically only used with belt-fed machine guns in naval applications, includes a row of red paint between

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770-447: The explosive and incendiary components of the round are initiated. Upon hitting a person the round will detonate about 50% of the time; if the target is wearing body armor a higher detonation frequency is to be expected (as shown by the ICRC tests carried out in 1999). If detonated, the round will have a significant fragmentation and incendiary effect in a 30-degree cone behind the struck target, and this might affect others standing in

805-433: The green and white rows. The headstamp on the casing will not help to identify the round as Raufoss. Common headstamps are used, and only designate the location, and year of final assembly of the completed round. Headstamps in general will read as (but are not limited to): HXP 89, WCC 94, LC 01 or FN 91. The two or three letter prefix (HXP, WCC, LC or FN) designates the place of assembly; the two-digit suffix numbers specify

840-636: The heavier designs, and were used to support infantry on the attack, on aircraft, and on many types of vehicles. The lightest of the new designs were not capable of sustained automatic fire, as they did not have water jackets and were fed from comparatively small magazines . Essentially machine rifles with a bipod , weapons like the Lewis Gun , Chauchat and the Madsen were portable by one soldier, but were made for single and burst fire. The medium designs offered greater flexibility, either being fitted with

875-448: The intermediate cartridges used in light machine guns. In this sense, the "heavy" aspect of the weapon refers to its superior power and range over light and medium caliber weapons, in addition to its weight. This class of machine gun came into widespread use during World War II , when the M2 was used widely in fortifications, on vehicles and in aircraft by American forces. A similar HMG capacity

910-611: The manually powered, multiple-barrel machine guns and the single-barrel Maxim guns. By the end of the 19th century, many new designs such as the M1895 Colt–Browning and Hotchkiss M1897 were developed, powered by gas operation or recoil operation . Also, rather than the heavy water jacket, new designs introduced other types of barrel cooling, such as barrel replacement, metal fins, heat sinks or some combination of these. Machine guns diverged into heavier and lighter designs. The later model water-cooled Maxim guns and its derivatives

945-545: The nomenclature Mk 211 Mod 0 used by the U.S. military for this round. The multipurpose concept developed by Raufoss is unique in that, instead of using a mechanical fuse , it uses a pyrotechnical ignition train to ensure proper deflagration (not detonation ) of the explosive and incendiary components. The multipurpose name is based on an armor-piercing tungsten core, a slow explosive , and an incendiary component, thus making it capable of penetrating lightly armored targets and causing damage to personnel inside

980-434: The practical limitations of snipers having to change the type of ammunition used when switching between hardened and soft targets. It is being exported strictly in an anti-matériel capacity. Heavy machine gun A heavy machine gun ( HMG ) is significantly larger than light , medium or general-purpose machine guns . HMGs are typically too heavy to be man-portable (carried by one person) and require mounting onto

1015-608: The production year. There has been much debate over whether the Mk 211 projectile is legal to use against personnel, or if it is strictly anti- materiel ammunition. The International Committee of the Red Cross has sought to have the ammunition banned, due to concern over the incendiary and explosive components and their effect on personnel. Under the Saint Petersburg Declaration of 1868 the "military or naval" use of explosive or incendiary projectiles with

1050-417: The target after penetration. It is a suitable round for engaging helicopters , aircraft and lightly armored vehicles , as well as unarmored vehicles, and it is capable of igniting jet fuel . The Mk 211 has about the same destructive power as a standard 20mm round against such targets and can penetrate 11 mm of RHA at 45° from a range of 1000 meters. The slower-burning deflagration action results in

1085-456: The vicinity. The distance the round will travel from ignition to detonation is 30–40 cm, so if the target is hit at very specific angles the round may still be inside the target at the time of detonation. The official stance of the Norwegian government is that the 12.7 mm MP round should not be used against personnel, but an exception has been made for snipers using the round due to

High-explosive incendiary/armor-piercing ammunition - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-471: The water-cooled designs. These later designs used quick-change barrel replacement to reduce overheating, which further reduced the weapon's weight, but at the cost of increasing the soldier's load due to the extra barrels. Some earlier designs like the Vickers had this feature, but it was mainly for barrel wear, as they normally used water cooling. It was in the 1920s and 1930s that quick barrel replacement for cooling purposes became more popular in weapons such as

1155-506: The weapon referred to the weapon's bulk and ability to sustain fire, not the cartridge caliber. This class of weapons was best exemplified by the Maxim gun , invented by the American inventor Hiram Maxim . The Maxim was the most ubiquitous machine gun of World War I, variants of which were fielded in large simultaneously by three separate warring nations—Germany with the MG 08 , Britain with

1190-410: The widespread adoption and modernization of the class, and most nations' armed forces are equipped with some type of HMG. Currently, machine guns with calibers smaller than 10mm are generally considered medium or light machine guns, while those larger than 15mm are generally classified as autocannons instead of HMGs. In the late 19th century, Gatling guns and other externally powered types such as

1225-604: Was later fielded by the Soviets in the form of Vasily Degtyaryov's DShK in 12.7×108mm . The ubiquitous German MG42 general-purpose machine gun, though well-suited against infantry, lacked the M2's anti-fortification and anti-vehicle capability, a fact that was noted and lamented by the Germans. The continued need for a longer-range machine gun with anti-materiel capability to bridge the gap between exclusively anti-infantry weapons and exclusively anti-materiel weapons has led to

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