Choosing the right type of ammunition

With so many types of ammo to pick from, it can be hard to decide what to use at what times. Here is a brief and oversimplified summary of ammo types.

### APFSDS (a.k.a. sabot, KE, fin, dart, or subcaliber)

The Armor Piercing, Fin-Stabilized, Discarding Sabot design is a dedicated anti-tank munition. It consists of a dense metal dart held in place by a breakaway collar (the "discarding sabot") to allow it to fill the gun barrel's full diameter. After firing, the sabot falls away, and the dart is left to fly at high speed directly into the target. It relies on sheer overpowering energy to break through armor, and its kill mechanism is shearing off pieces of debris (as well as its own remnants) that spray the inside of the target in a cone shaped area.

In GHPC, you should select APFSDS ammunition when you are engaging enemy tanks, or when you want to take advantage of its short flight time and fairly flat trajectory to help you score a hit. You should not rely on it against infantry or other small targets that require a weapon with an area of effect.

### HEAT-FS

A strong choice for medium duty, High Explosive Anti-Tank (Fin Stabilized) combines decent anti-armor capability with a respectable amount of blast damage, and sometimes even a fragmentation sleeve for extra punch against light targets. This type of round works by detonating an inverted cone liner (usually copper) in such a way that it focuses into a thin, extremely energetic stream of superplasticized material. This "jet" is nearly instantly accelerated to high speeds, boring deep into whatever armor is in its way. The jet functions much like a kinetic penetrator after that, creating dangerous "spall" fragments from the entry point. Due to the fact that the penetrator is created by combustion (a chemical reaction) rather than the kinetic energy of the round, HEAT rounds are sometimes referred to as using chemical energy, or CE.

In GHPC, HEAT-FS is a strong choice against tanks that lack composite or reactive armor, as it can pierce a substantial thickness of ordinary armor steel. You can also use it against lightly armored or unarmored targets effectively. Of special note is the fact that HEAT-FS does not rely on the speed of the round to be effective, making it an ideal choice for very long ranges if you can hit the target.

### HE

Perhaps the simplest kind of contemporary tank munition, the High Explosive round relies primarily on its explosive charge and fragmenting case to cause damage to lightly armored or unarmored targets. HE rounds unleash dense fragment clouds, strong concussive overpressure waves, and plenty of heat and noise. They come in a wide variety of specific configurations, including HE-Frag, which is designed to produce maximum fragmentation debris, or APHE (armor piercing high explosive), which is built extra sturdy to defeat a certain amount of armor before exploding. HE rounds often also have impact fuses with a tiny amount of delay, so if they punch through an obstacle, they can fly into the protected space before detonation.

In GHPC, HE rounds are the weapon of choice against infantry, emplacements, buildings, and unarmored vehicles. In addition, their strong blast force can destroy sensitive equipment, like optics and lamps, on even the strongest tanks. And last but not least, APHE can be devastating when used against weaker armor that it's capable of defeating.

### ATGMs

The Anti-Tank Guided Missile is a staple of modern combat. Packing a strong HEAT warhead into a tube launched missile, this weapon system is a dangerous threat to targets of all types. ATGMs are steerable, often by simply aiming a weapon sight at the target, which makes them much easier to use than other compact anti-tank systems. With a clear line of sight and a safe firing position, ATGMs have a very high chance of hitting and disabling their targets.

In GHPC, ATGMs are a feature of both vehicles and infantry emplacements. If you're moving through open ground in enemy territory, you'll need to keep a sharp eye out for these, as even one hit can ruin your day.