Also Known As
Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel XM329 (US Army designation)
Origin Israel
Contractor/s IMI Israel Military Industries Applications
Merkava
Description:
The APAM (Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel) is a 120mm round developed by IMI of Israel to engage infantry squads equipped with extremely lethal anti-tank weapons. In addition to dismounted infantrymen, the APAM round can engage light armored vehicles, targets protected by 50.8 cm of reinforced concrete, bunkers of sand and timber construction and hovering helicopters. Following an overhead attack trajectory, the round dispenses six submunitions which shower lethal fragments over an area of 50 meters long per 20 meters wide to engage hostile manpower and helicopters. To attack bunkers, vehicles and fortifications, the APAM is fired as an unitary round.
IMI developed the APAM round for the Israel Defense Force (IDF) Merkava main battle tanks which are vulnerable to anti-tank weapons used by guerrillas and terrorists organizations in the Middle East. IMI also developed a 105mm version to be fired by the M60 and other main battle tanks equipped with a 105mm main gun. In early 2007, the US Army evaluated the APAM round under the XM329 designation. The US Army intended to provide this round to its M1 Abrams tanks.
Specifications Guns: Caliber 120 mm
Number of Submunitions: 6
Dimensions: Dispersion Area 1,000 square meter 50x20 meters
Performance: Piercing in Reinforced Concrete 508 mm (20.00 in)
Israel