Four Wheeler TV: Episode 2, Part IV Video - Inside Bravo Company
Serious ammunition for the Abrams tank.
Transcript
00:00 Well, these are the tank main gun rounds that we fire.
00:05 Now, these ones are the training rounds.
00:07 Obviously, we're in a training base, so we're not going to have service ammunition, which
00:11 packs a little bit more punch.
00:13 This one right here is a SABO round, a training SABO round.
00:18 Now, SABO is the main armor defeating round that the tank uses.
00:22 To give you an idea, you can kind of feel the weight.
00:26 Training one's about 45 to 50 pounds.
00:30 Basically, what you're looking at on the end is the projectile, the SABO projectile.
00:33 Typically, it's like a giant dart.
00:36 It uses kinetic energy to penetrate the target.
00:39 The blue portion of this is actually used to help the round travel down the gun tube.
00:44 Once it leaves the gun tube, these blue pedals, as we call them, will fall off.
00:48 Everything below that is combustible.
00:51 It burns up when we shoot.
00:52 The only thing that comes out is the metal portion, the aft cap at the bottom.
00:57 You haven't had any accidents inside this?
00:58 I haven't had any ammunition fires.
01:00 I haven't lost any Marines to that.
01:01 It is a serious, serious situation when there's a fire in there.
01:04 Like I said, there's no such thing as a minor fire inside a tank.
01:08 Fingers, I've had crewman lose fingers.
01:11 Unfortunately, the ammunition door, there's warning signs on it and everything.
01:16 I didn't even see them.
01:17 I didn't even see them.
01:18 You were just saying that closes with 700...
01:20 750 PSI per square inch.
01:21 That's what the door seals with.
01:22 I was just saying, your fingers are non-existent.
01:24 Exactly.
01:25 It's not going to stop.
01:26 Well, there's a stop switch.
01:27 As the door comes closed, if something in there hits, it will stop up to the last three
01:31 inches.
01:32 Once it catches the last three inches, that's when the seal is grabbed hold and pulling
01:35 it through.
01:36 If your fingers are in there, they're staying in there, unfortunately.
01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]