M829A3 APFSDS

U.S. 120 mm depleted-uranium APFSDS round with a longer penetrator and improved sabot, designed to defeat modern reactive and composite armor.

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

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

US ITAR-controlled

Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.

Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

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.

Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters.: 120 mm

Munition

Round type, penetration, velocity and projectile data.

Round type APFSDS (kinetic sabot), HEAT / multipurpose, HE-FRAG, canister or gun-launched ATGM.: APFSDS
Caliber Bore diameter the round is fired from.: 120 mm
Penetration Published/estimated rolled-homogeneous-armour-equivalent penetration. Values are open-source estimates; real figures are classified.: 680 mm RHA

Stronger than 80% of munitions
Muzzle velocity Speed as the projectile leaves the barrel. Higher flattens trajectory and shortens time-to-target.: 1,555 m/s

Stronger than 56% of munitions
Projectile mass Mass of the projectile or penetrator assembly.: 10 kg

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

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