125 mm smoothbore ammunition


The following is a list of ammunition fired by the 125 mm smoothbore gun series used in the T-64, T-72, T-80, M-84, T-90, PT-91, T-14 Armata, and other tanks derived from those designs, as well as the 2A45 Sprut anti-tank gun.

APFSDS-T

Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot tracer or APFSDS-T rounds. Typically used against other modern tanks.
There are different ways to measure penetration value. NATO uses the 50%, while the Soviet/Russian standard is higher. According to authorities like Paul Lakowski, the difference in performance can reach as much as 8%

3VBM3/3BM9/10

Entered service in 1962. The projectile is Maraging steel.
Entered service in 1968. Essentially the same as the 3BM9 projectile with a tungsten carbide plug.
Entered service. A slightly longer 3BM12 projectile.
Entered service. An export version of the 3BM-15 without the tungsten carbide plug. Hence, it is an all-steel penetrator with inferior performance.
Entered service 1976. Tungsten carbide penetrator core sheathed in steel. Enlarged cap help to increase positive normalization and hold a much larger penetrator.
Entered service 1982. Depleted uranium-nickel-iron alloy sheathed in steel.
Entered service 1983. Tungsten-nickel-iron alloy penetrator core sheathed in steel. Utilised new 4Zh63 high-energy propelling charge. Penetrator is base-installed to prevent deflection during penetration against multi-layered composite armour. Improved penetrator cap made of aluminium alloy.
Entered service in 1985. The projectile is an integrated depleted uranium-nickel-zinc alloy penetrator.
Entered service in 1986. The projectile is double tungsten alloy rod sheathed in low melting point alloy covered with steel, intended to increase penetration against non-explosive reactive armour such as Chobham armour.
Entered service in 1994
Utilising an improved penetrator and a new sabot. Reported to be tungsten alloy.
Entered service in 1991
Utilising a new sabot. Reported to be uranium alloy.
Entered service : 2002.
Utilising a new sabot. Reported to be uranium alloy. Used on 2A46M-5 with new autoloader.
Entered service : 2002.
Utilising a new sabot. Reported to be tungsten alloy. Used on 2A46M-5 with new autoloader.
Entered service in 2005
Utilising a new sabot. Reported to be uranium alloy. For 2A82/2A82-1M cannon on T-80UM-2/T-14s.
Entered service in 2005 utilising a new sabot. Reported to be tungsten alloy.
High-explosive anti-tank fin stabilised or HEAT-FS rounds. Typically used against lighter or older tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

3VBK7/3BK12

Entered service 1962.
Entered service 1968, replacing steel liner with a copper liner. "M" means медь Uses 3V-15 detonator. Due to Soviet Union's copper economize policy production of the model is limited. Penetration performance claimed to be 10% higher than steel liner version.
Entered service 1968.
Improved version, replacing steel liner with a copper liner.

3VBK16/3BK18

Entered service estimated 1975. Introduced wave-shaping booster.
Improved warhead. Entered service estimated 1978, replacing steel liner with a copper liner. Improved wave-shaping booster.
Entered service estimated 1980. Enhancements to improve reliability of the copper jet formation.
Entered service estimated 1982. "Material B" depleted uranium alloy liner to enhance penetration of advanced composite armours like Chobham.
Entered service estimated 1985.
Entered service estimated 1988. A new type of explosive-filling was applied, which improved focusing of the jet stream.
First seen publicly in 1998. Reportedly a triple charge warhead intended to reduce efficiency of NERA elements.
fragmentation fin stabilised. General purpose rounds, for use against infantry, bunkers and light vehicles and other "soft" targets.

3VOF22/3OF19

Entered service in 1962. Uses the 3V-21 detonator. The 90% lethal zone for infantry is reported to be 40 m wide and 20 m deep.
Entered service in 1970. Uses the 3V-21 detonator. The projectile creates between 600 and 2,000 fragments. The body is made up of 45Kh1 steel or 60S2 high-fragmentation steel for modern projectiles. Modern projectiles creates up to 2,500 effective fragments.
Entered service in 2014. Uses the 3VM-18 programmable detonator. The projectile contains 450 tungsten rods, each weighing 3 grams and creates 2,500 fragments when air burst mode is set. Air burst mode for use against infantry, light vehicles and helicopters, delayed mode use against bunkers and other constructions.

3VSh7/3Sh7 "Voron"

Entered service in 1975. Uses the 3VM-17 time detonator. for use against wide area infantry and light vehicle. Time of detonation setting is mechanical, for modernization, the shell fuze could be setting automatically by improved "Ainet" systems or "Kalina" systems, which available on T-90K commander tank or regular T-90A, T-90M, T-80UA, T-14 main battle tanks.
Entered service in 1988. Uses the 3VM-12 programmable detonator. A part of Remote detonation system "Ainet" on T-80UK commander tank.

9M112 Kobra

The 9K112 Kobra is also fired from the 125 mm main guns of the T-64 and T-80 series of tanks
The 9M119 Svir and 9M119M Refleks anti-tank guided missile has semi-automatic laser beam-riding guidance and a tandem hollow-charge HEAT warhead. It has an effective range of 75 m to 5000 m, and takes 17.6 seconds to reach maximum range. Refleks can penetrate about of steel armour and can also engage low-flying air targets such as helicopters.
Designed for the 2A82-1M gun on T-14 Armata tanks, the 3UBK21 Sprinter has millimeter wave SACLOS guidance and a tandem shaped-charge HEAT warhead. It has an effective range of 50 m to 12000 m. and can penetrate of steel armour after explosive reactive armour. It can also engage low-flying air targets such as helicopters.

Sokol-1

The Sokol-1 guided shell is fired from the 125 mm main gun, it borrowed design from the 152mm artillery shell 3OF75 Santimetr-M and both have very similar appearance, but with an added shaped charge cap into its design similar to the M712 Copperhead, intended to defeat heavily armoured targets. It uses the technique that is referred to as the Russian concept of impulse corrections, an impulse steering flight control system to correct the projectile's trajectory.
12 km（indirect fire）
The 3UBK14F1 guided shell is fired from the 125 mm main gun, its design was modified from 9M119 missile, removing the rocket motor and replacing it with an extra Thermobaric warhead, turning it into a guided shell. Its range was decreased to 3.5 km, and it is claimed to be three times the explosive power of regular thermobaric variant 125 mm guided missiles.