T-10M vs Strv 103 | 122mm 3BM11 APDS Armour Piercing Simulation

The Soviet T-10M heavy tank received the 3BM11 APDS round in 1967 -the same year in which the Strv 103 entered Swedish service. The simulation shows what would happen if that round struck the ribbed upper plate of the Strv 103 A/B (without the slat armour). The penetrator of the APDS round is tungsten carbide -an extremely hard and dense material, but prone to brittle fracture. During trials of the Strv 103 against 105mm APDS, it was shown that the ribs could have a large effect on the protection, being able to shatter or de-cap APDS rounds. Coincidentally, the 122mm 3BM11 APDS round featured a massive steel cap, which was intended to protect the core against spaced also seems to be effective against the Strv 103’s ribs. The T-54 also received the 3BM8 APDS round at a similar time, with an indentical core but slightly thinner steel body. It’s 100mm gun would fire this at 1415m/s, so the simulation can also be viewed as the T-54 firing 3BM8 at the Strv from ~100m away. Amazing thumbnail artwork from: @TanksEncyclopediaYT