Projectile Inside Shaped Charge

A recent alternative to shaped charges is known as the squashhead projectile. As the name implies, this contains a plastic explosive which spreads on impact so as to make contact with the largest possible area of the tank before detonating. When the explosive detonates, reflection of the shock wave causes a scab of metal to be displaced from the inside surface of the armour plate (see p. 135). The effect inside the tank can therefore be greater than is the case with a shaped charge which may do little more than penetrate the armour. The amount of scabbing is approximately proportional to the area of contact of the explosive at the moment of detonation. 

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