L31 HESH

British 120 mm high-explosive squash head round fired from the rifled L30A1 gun on the Challenger 2, used against fortifications and soft targets.

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-05

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

UK export-licensed

Subject to UK SPIRE licensing (ECJU); generally available to allied states.

Channel: Government-to-government or direct

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

120 mm NATO smoothbore

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters.	120 mm
Warhead Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.	4 kg Stronger than 24% of munitions

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	0.51 m

Munition

Round type, penetration, velocity and projectile data.

Munition specifications
Round type APFSDS (kinetic sabot), HEAT / multipurpose, HE-FRAG, canister or gun-launched ATGM.	HESH
Muzzle velocity Speed as the projectile leaves the barrel. Higher flattens trajectory and shortens time-to-target.	670 m/s Stronger than 16% of munitions
Projectile mass Mass of the projectile or penetrator assembly.	17.1 kg
Effective range Practical engagement range of the round.	8,500 m Stronger than 42% of munitions

Specifications compiled from public BAE Systems and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-05.

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