Jim Dunnigan’s Strategy Page is reporting that the Army has developed grape-shot loads for the M1 tank’s main gun:
December 11, 2005: The M-1 tank has finally, officially, gotten its M1028 “shotgun shell” for its 120mm gun. This is for use against hostile infantry. The XM1028 shell holds 1100 10mm tungsten balls that are propelled out of the gun barrel and begin to disperse. The tungsten projectiles are lethal at up to 700 meters. The official requirement of the XM1028 is to kill or disable more than 50 percent of a 10 man squad with 1 shot and do the same to a 30 man platoon with 2 shots.
To put this in perspective: 00 Buckshot is 8.382 mm — so each cartridge would fire 1100 essentially 000 buckshot. Ouch!
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