ArmorSim American ammunition represents the United States military's kinetic energy and guided anti-armor catalog within Timerlan Galimov's terminal-ballistics sandbox. Rather than relying on arbitrary hit-point damage values, ArmorSim solves every projectile impact through physical equations, treating American kinetic penetrators as heavy depleted uranium (DU) alloy rods governed by Alekseevskii–Tate erosion, Johnson–Cook plasticity, and documented shock Hugoniot test data.
The sandbox splits ammunition into standard historical service rounds, infantry anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), and fully customizable penetrators.
American Tank Rounds in ArmorSim
The official ArmorSim catalog documents six dedicated United States service tank rounds, covering both 105 mm rifled and 120 mm smoothbore calibers. Every cataloged American APFSDS round in the simulation utilizes a depleted uranium core.
| Registry Designation | Caliber | Service Year | Penetrator Core Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| M774 | 105 mm | 1979 | Depleted Uranium (DU) |
| M833 | 105 mm | 1983 | Depleted Uranium (DU) |
| M829 | 120 mm | 1985 | Depleted Uranium (DU) |
| M829A1 | 120 mm | 1988 | Depleted Uranium (DU) |
| M829A2 | 120 mm | 1993 | Depleted Uranium (DU) |
| M829A3 | 120 mm | 2002 | Depleted Uranium (DU) |
In addition to tank gun projectiles, player catalog audits and testing builds record American guided munitions, notably the FGM-148 Javelin and BGM-71E TOW-2A, which deploy shaped-charge warhead physics rather than kinetic rod erosion.
How ArmorSim Calculates American Depleted Uranium Rounds
ArmorSim models kinetic rounds through material properties rather than flat penetration numbers. The simulation treats American service APFSDS differently from German tungsten alloy penetrators (such as DM13 through DM53) due to specific material constants.
Material Flow and Shock Equations
Starting in Update 2.0, depleted uranium was expanded beyond analytical equations into the advanced continuum physics engine:
- Alloy Standard: The game registers depleted uranium as DU-0.75Ti.
- Constitutive Model: Plastic deformation and flow stress run on the published Johnson & Cook (1983) model.
- Equation of State: Continuum calculations employ a Mie-Grüneisen equation of state alongside adiabatic shear banding and element erosion routines.
- Analytic Solvers: In Normal and Advanced modes, projectile behavior integrates Alekseevskii–Tate hydrodynamic erosion, Recht–Ipson residual velocity formulas, and Rosenberg ricochet criteria.
American Guided Missiles: Javelin and TOW-2A
Aside from long-rod APFSDS, ArmorSim includes American shaped-charge systems:
- Javelin (FGM-148): Modeled with tandem/shaped-charge warhead properties. In baseline player tests against multi-plate cast steel arrays, a single Javelin strike pierced through 14 layers before losing its jet energy, outperforming standard single-charge RPG rounds against equivalent targets.
- TOW-2A (BGM-71E): Available as an anti-tank guided missile warhead against layered, spaced, and reactive armor layouts.
Beginning in update 3.3.3 and 4.0.0, the sandbox allows players to break down shaped charges into modular parts—including copper liners (42°, 60°, or hemispherical), fuzes, wave-shaping lenses, and standoff probes—to test custom munitions alongside standard American warheads.
Customizing American Projectiles in the Sandbox
Players are not limited to fixed stock parameters. Selecting an American penetrator or a base generic rod in the UI exposes several editable mechanical variables:
- Velocity: Adjust the flight velocity (m/s) to match point-blank muzzle speed or simulate terminal velocity at extended ranges.
- Caliber and Core Dimensions: Modify projectile diameter and penetrator rod length.
- Core Material: Swap between DU, tungsten heavy alloy (WHA), or generic steel cores to evaluate how density and yield strength influence penetration depth.
Solver Modes and Known Limitations
The performance of American ammunition changes significantly depending on the solver mode selected in ArmorSim:
- Normal Mode: Calculates impacts in fractions of a second using analytical Alekseevskii–Tate formulas. Ideal for running rapid comparative firing tests across different impact velocities.
- Advanced Mode: Displays energy loss, wear fraction, ballistic limits, and residual velocity plate-by-plate across layered composite or spaced arrays.
- Ultra / Super Simulation: Runs an axisymmetric Lagrangian mesh. In tester benchmarks, firing high-tier rounds like the M829A3 through deep arrays (such as 25 sequential steel plates) causes heavy CPU load. The developer notes that Ultra mode remains restricted to normal (head-on) incidence angles while in Early Access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are American tank rounds in ArmorSim made of tungsten or depleted uranium?
All cataloged American APFSDS rounds in ArmorSim (M774, M833, M829, M829A1, M829A2, and M829A3) use depleted uranium cores modeled on the DU-0.75Ti alloy.
Does ArmorSim feature modern rounds like the M829A4?
As of version 4.0.0, the latest American service penetrator included in the official catalog is the 2002 M829A3. The M829A4 is not present as a preset, though its dimensions and velocity can be recreated using the customizable rod editor.
Can American munitions penetrate explosive reactive armor (ERA)?
Yes, but penetration depends on the armor package.
