40 mm L/60 HE-T cartridge (Sweden), Cannon - 35 to 57 mm cannon

Development
The 40 mm 40 × 311 R L/60 High-Explosive Tracer (HE-T) cartridge (also known as the HEI-T) is the base round for the entire Bofors 40 mm L/60 anti-aircraft gun family and dates back to 1930. Over the years, the basic 40 mm L/60 HE-T round has undergone many changes in filling, fuzing, propellant and materials, but it remains much the same in appearance as the original design. The following description outlines the current Bofors data. For many years, 40 mm L/60 HE-T ammunition was produced by Lindesbergs Industri AB (LIAB), which later became part of Bofors.The 40 mm L/60 HE-T round is still in production and remains available from Bofors on request. Many other manufacturers produce the round on a regular basis, often referring to it as High-Explosive Incendiary (HE-I) or as HE-I-T. Although 40 mm L/60 HE-T rounds were made in huge quantities in the US for many years, including during and following the Second World War (1939-45), they are no longer in US production, other than to special order. The ammunition is used in the USAF's AC-130 gunships under the designation PGU-9C/B. Nammo recently won a US contract to supply ammunition for this purpose.

Description
The 40 mm L/60 HE-T is a fixed round, with a brass cartridge case and a streamlined boat-tailed projectile. The body is made of a special high-fragmentation steel. The cartridge case is crimped rigidly to the projectile by one or two 360º crimping bands; weapons using automatic feed systems or guns with increased rate-of-fire modifications should use double-crimped ammunition. A copper drive band (gilding metal has been used) encircles the projectile just above the cartridge case/projectile junction. Rounds are usually fed into the gun in four-round charger clips.The Bofors 40 mm L/60 HE-T projectile is filled with 92 g of Hexotonal, comprising 42 per cent TNT, 40 per cent RDX, 15 per cent aluminium powder and three per cent wax desensitiser. Many other fillings have been used, for example, the US MV2 700 HE-T SD (self-destruct) contains approximately 63.5 g of tetryl. The base of the projectile contains a tracer element which burns for five seconds after firing.The nose of the projectile may be threaded to accept fuzes with UK, US and Bofors threads. Typical Swedish fuzes for the 40 mm L/60 HE-T include the Type LI 460 PD [Point-Detonating], which functions against 2 mm dural at impact velocities as low as 350 m/s and self-destructs after 12 seconds (on some HE-T projectiles the end of the tracer burn initiates the self-destruct process). The LI 460 PD uses a UK fuze-well thread. The similar LI 462 PD has Bofors threads, and the LI 463 PD has US threads. All

The complete article appears in the following publication:
Publication Title	Jane's Ammunition Handbook
Publication date	Nov 29, 2011
Section	Cannon - 35 to 57 mm cannon
Publication synopsis	Jane's Ammunition Handbook is the authoritative reference guide for ammunition in service, in stock and under development. This comprehensive resource provides informed analysis of product developments and commercial history, as well as technical descriptions, specifications and illustrations for ease of recognition. With Jane's Ammunition Handbook, your procurement and research needs are also supported through the original manufacturers' details and expert reference tables to confidently confirm small arms identification.
Key contents include	Small arms Projected grenades Riot Control Cannon Tank and Anti-Tank Naval and Coast Defence Mortars Field Artillery and Rockets Fuses Cartridge Identification Tables
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