ArmorSim Shaped Charge Jets: HEAT Rounds and Custom Charges

ArmorSim shaped charge jets are calculated terminal-ballistic penetrations rather than pre-rendered impact animations. Formed when a detonation wave collapses a metal liner into a high-velocity stream, these jets interact with solid plates, composite arrays, and reactive cassettes according to material density and continuum physics.

Whether you are testing pre-assembled anti-tank munitions or designing custom warheads in the scene editor, understanding how the game computes jet formation dictates whether your projectile punches through or breaks up on the target.

Pre-Configured Shaped Charge Munitions

ArmorSim includes standard factory High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) and guided missile warheads in its default projectile catalog. These rounds feature preset liner angles, explosive masses, and standoff distances derived from real-world armaments:

Update 3.0.0 overhauled these catalog warheads with geometric updates that prevent the jet from prematurely dissolving in flight, allowing them to retain structural integrity through standard standoff gaps.

Assembling Custom Shaped Charges

Update 3.3.3 introduced modular warhead construction under the Projectile Components sub-menu. Players can build functional custom shaped charges from individual parts rather than relying on preset catalog munitions.

A functional shaped charge requires three core components:

1. High Explosive Block: An explosive mass shaped specifically to house the chosen liner geometry.
2. Liner: The metal cone or disk that collapses under explosive pressure to generate the penetrator.
3. Fuze: The trigger mechanism that initiates the detonation wave.

Available Liner Types

• 60-Degree Copper Cone: Standard conical liner providing a balanced, deep-penetrating jet.
• 42-Degree Copper Cone: Narrower angle yielding a faster, narrower jet tip.
• Hemispherical Copper Liner: Generates a wider, lower-velocity jet profile.
• Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) Liner: Collapses into a solid slug rather than an elongated hypervelocity jet, useful against spaced structures.

Auxiliary Components

To fine-tune performance, warheads can be supplemented with specialized modular parts:

• Standoff Probe: Detonates the warhead at an optimal distance before the body contacts the target, allowing the jet time to stretch before hitting the outer plate.
• Wave-Shaping Lens: Re-routes the detonation wavefront around the liner apex to optimize collapse velocity and symmetry.
• Fuzing Options: Contact fuzes, fuzes with igniters, detonating cord, or microsecond timer fuzes (5 µs, 20 µs, and 50 µs).
• Exterior Housings: Ballistic caps, tail stabilizers, and shrapnel jackets.

If parts touch a projectile body, they attach to it and fly downrange. If assembled standalone on the grid without a projectile body, the configuration acts as an explosive breaching charge or static mine. The jet forms dynamically the moment the detonation wave reaches the liner surface.

How ArmorSim Solves Shaped Charge Impacts

The behavior of a shaped charge jet depends on which solver mode is active:

• Normal Mode: Executes quick analytic equations to calculate baseline hydrodynamic penetration depth based on jet length, tip velocity, and target material density.
• Advanced Mode: Tracks energy distribution across layered plates, recording the wear fraction, residual velocity, and core erosion as the jet cuts through spaced arrays or composite backing.
• Ultra (Continuum) Mode: Uses an axisymmetric Lagrangian mesh with Johnson-Cook plasticity, Mie-Grüneisen equations of state, and element erosion. In this mode, the deformation and crater shape emerge from material physics rather than predetermined hit tables. The official developer notes specify that Ultra mode solves shaped-charge jets at normal incidence (head-on impacts).
• 2D Proving Ground: Available in 2D Playground and 2D Advanced modes. Update 4.0.0 optimized 2D GPU computation, preventing custom charge craters from unnaturally shattering surrounding scene geometry while slightly increasing baseline penetration depths.

Defenses Against Shaped Charge Jets

ArmorSim models reactive and non-explosive countermeasures realistically:

• Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA): Following Update 3.0.0, ERA cassettes dynamically throw flyer plates into the path of the incoming jet. The moving metal plates disrupt the continuous stream, breaking the jet into disjointed fragments before it reaches the main armor.
• Slat Cages and Anti-Drone Nets: In 2D mode, bar cages crush warhead fuzes or force premature detonation well ahead of the primary plate, allowing the jet to disperse harmlessly in open air.
• Active Protection Systems (APS): Four interceptor types (launched plate, fragment cone, buckshot, and explosively formed projectiles) can defeat incoming shaped-charge warheads or loitering FPV drones before impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the 2D mode give an error when building a custom shaped charge?

A shaped charge requires all three structural elements: an explosive block, a liner, and a fuze.

Do shaped charge jets work at oblique angles in Ultra mode?

Ultra mode relies on an axisymmetric continuum solver designed for perpendicular, head-on impacts. For angled or complex spaced targets, use Normal or Advanced mode, as Ultra will flag configurations that fall outside what its axisymmetric mesh can solve.

Does standoff distance affect penetration in the simulator?

Yes. Placing a standoff probe on custom warheads allows the collapsing liner to stretch into an elongated jet before contacting the target. Detonating flush against a plate prevents the jet from reaching full length, reducing total penetration depth.