Possible bug with 105mm HEP

[ChrisWerb]

Hi there. I've had a few instances of HEP from an M60A1 when it hits small branches etc. I though this type of round had a base fuse and would only activate after an interval that allowed the warhead to flatten against the target. Something fairly substantial other than steel or concrete, such as hitting solid earth,  would still activate the fuse, but not a twig, for example.

[Ssnake]

Trees don't just consist of twigs, leaves, and the trunk. We don't model branches on our trees, we just have (huge) "foliage" triangles. So, I wouldn't call it a bug, maybe an "abstraction" or "modelling edge case". I suppose we might be able to assign likelihoods of foliage triangles setting off the fuze of a round to differentiate between nose and base fuzes. Right now, it's the kind of fine grain that we gloss over. Even then, I don't think it's trained practice to shoot HESH through foliage.

[ChrisWerb]

OK, I understand the abstraction thing  I doubt it's trained practice to shoot through foliage with HEP, but odd things happen and if you came across a bunker covered with light branches or you had run out of APDS-T and you caught a T-54 behind some foliage at close range, I'm guessing you would probably choose HEP over HEAT.

 

Late edit: SB always makes you think. I just had an M60A3 run out of all other ammo and shoot WP at an enemy tank. Nothing much happened, but it's an entirely realistic thing to happen that I had never considered!

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by ChrisWerb

[Ssnake]

Actually, I would prefer HEAT over HESH if the distance between foliage and target was under ten meters. Most HEAT rounds trigger at shorter than optimal standoff ranges because you can't build long enough fuze probe noses without risking the projectile's aerodynamic stability. I doubt however that there is any crew in the world that would take such an analytical approach in a duel situation. You fire what you have and hope for the best.