XM1203 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Trace
The XM1203 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot with Trace is a 50 x 228 mm munition developed for the US military.[1] The projectile itself is 50 mm in diameter, encasing a long thing dart, designed to pierce armored vehicles. A light "sabot" grips the barrel's rifling, in order for the shell gets the full power of the expanding gas. Tracer rounds have a button of pyrotechnical chemical that leave a trail to help a gunner figure out their fall of shot.
Picatiny is slated to manufacture a 50mm chain-gun, to use this munition, and the related XM1204 High Explosive Air Burst round.[1] The cannon is a larger and more modern version of the 25 mm Bushmaster cannon used on Bradley fighting vehicles, various armored cars related to the Stryker, and as the main armament on smaller naval vessels, and a secondary armament on larger vessels.
Chain-guns are autocannons that use an external power source to cycle rounds through the weapon.[1] This differs from firearms and most autocannons, which harness some of the energy of the exploding round to cycle the weapon. When power is available from a vehicle's engine or battery, the gunner has more control over the rate of fire, and the weapon is not stopped when a dud is encountered.
