Editing High-explosive squash head (section)

=== Use ===
HESH rounds are mostly fired from guns with [[rifling|rifled]], rather than [[smoothbore]], barrels. Rifling causes a projectile to spin, thereby allowing longer projectiles to be used, while at the same time improving accuracy. This also may make a HESH shell more effective on impact by increasing the surface area of contact for the explosive: the faster the spin, the larger the resultant contact patch. HESH shells are not specifically designed to perforate the armour of vehicles, unlike [[high-explosive anti-tank]] (HEAT) rounds, with their [[shaped charge]] jets. HESH shells rely instead on transmitting a shock wave through the solid steel armor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Deshpande|first1=P.U.|last2=Prabhu|first2=V.D.|last3=Prabhakaran|first3=K.V.|date=2003-10-01|title=Impulsive Loading of Armour by High Explosive Squash Head Munition|url=http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/2282|journal=Defence Science Journal|volume=53|issue=4|pages=357–365|doi=10.14429/dsj.53.2282|access-date=2021-10-02|archive-date=2015-07-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703025739/http://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/2282|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=115 mm, 120 mm & 125 mm Tank Guns|url=http://characterisationexplosiveweapons.org/studies/annex-d-115-120-125-mm-tank-guns/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=GICHD|language=en-US}}</ref>

HESH ammunition has good general purpose use, being effective against most targets, though the round is generally used at relatively low velocities (generally under {{convert|800|m/s|abbr=on}}) because high velocity excessively disperses the pat of explosive. While only effective against tanks without [[spaced armour]] or spall liners, the round is still favoured for combat [[demolition]] purposes. The flattened high-velocity explosive pat can destroy concrete constructions much faster than a HEAT round (which is designed to penetrate armour), and without the dangerous fragmentation of a traditional [[Explosive#High|high explosive]] (HE) fragmentation round.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Roy|first=S. N., Armament Research & Development Establishment, Kirkee|date=29 March 2014|title=Some design and functional aspects of squash head shell|url=https://publications.drdo.gov.in/ojs/index.php/dsj/article/view/6834|journal=Defence Science Journal|volume=12|issue=1|pages=55–58|doi=10.14429/dsj.12.6834|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 }}</ref>