T72 vs Strv103 | 125mm 3BM9 APFSDS Armour Piercing Simulation

The Swedish Strv 103 entered service in 1967; despite it only having 40mm of armour, it was one of the best protected tanks in the world due to the armour being sloped at 78°. This meant that most projectiles would simply glance off the plate, apart from the new APFSDS rounds coming out of the Soviet Union. The simulation shows the 3BM9 APFSDS projectile impacting the upper plate of the tank at 1000m. This was the first, and weakest, 125mm smoothbore projectile of the T64/T72 series. Despite this, it is still capable of penetrating the Strv’s hull and would likely go through the spall shield as well (unless the engine absorbed it). Soviet T72’s would likely use more effective munitions when they entered service but many satellite states who bought the T72 would still use 3BM9. Amazing thumbnail art from: @Tank Encyclopedia Strv 103 armour: