Editing High-explosive squash head (section)

== Users ==
[[File:105mm HEP typeB (cropped 2).JPG|thumb|Japanese 105 mm Type B HESH shell for the [[Royal Ordnance L7]] rifled gun in use on the [[Type 74 tank|Type 74]] tank]]
[[File:US Navy 111214-N-BA263-276 Explosive ordnance disposal technicians assigned to Commander, Task Group (CTG) 56.1 build a 1,500-pound munitions dispo.jpg|thumb|[[US Navy]] technicians building a munitions disposal for HESH (HEP) shells]]
HESH rounds were fielded mainly by the [[British Army]] as the main explosive round of its [[main battle tank]]s during the [[Cold War]]. It was also used by other military forces, especially those that acquired the early post-World War II British {{convert|105|mm|abbr=on}} [[Royal Ordnance L7A1]] tank gun, including Germany, India, Israel, and Sweden.

Since the 1980s, HESH ammunition has increasingly lost favour as armour designs have trended towards layered composites of hard metal and heat-resistant materials. This type of armour conducts shock waves poorly. Anti-spalling devices (''spall liners''), made of materials such as [[Kevlar]], are commonly fitted to the interior surface of modern armoured vehicles to minimise spalling effects.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-30|title=Modern Anti-Tank Ammunition|url=https://www.ontrmuseum.ca/tankmuseum/blog-post/modern-anti-tank-ammunition/|access-date=2021-10-02|website=The Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum|language=en-US}}</ref> Another reason for the declining use of HESH rounds is the preference of most armies using smoothbore guns due to the usage of powerful [[armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot]], which would significantly decrease the rifled gun's barrel life.

British [[Challenger 1]] and [[Challenger 2]] tanks, and India's [[Arjun (tank)|Arjun tank]] (which has the same rifled {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}} gun as the UK's MBTs) use HESH rounds as their primary ammunition. Amongst other ammunition types, the [[Stryker Mobile Gun System]] variant is to be equipped with a {{convert|105|mm|abbr=on}} HESH round for demolition and bunker-busting purposes. Argentina's [[TAM (tank)|TAM medium tanks]], Canada's [[Leopard C1]] and [[Leopard C2]] main battle tanks (all of which mount the same {{convert|105|mm|abbr=on}} gun as the Centurion), the Australian [[Leopard AS1]] main battle tank, and the Chinese [[VT-4 Main Battle Tank|VT-4 main battle tank]] (which mounts a {{convert|125|mm|abbr=on}} smoothbore gun) all use HESH rounds.

HESH rounds are also carried by [[Combat engineering vehicle|armoured engineer vehicles]]; they are typically intended for use against [[fortification]]s rather than [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s. A {{convert|165|mm|abbr=on}} HESH round is used by the [[United States Army]] for the main gun of the [[M728 combat engineer vehicle]], an [[M60 Patton|M60 tank]] equipped with a [[bulldozer]] blade. Similarly, the UK's [[Centurion AVRE]] was equipped with a short {{convert|165|mm|abbr=on}} gun solely for a {{convert|29|kg|abbr=on}} HESH shell.