Shaped charges are explosives that project a superheated jet of liquid metal through armor. They consist of a cone or cylinder-shaped high explosive with a metal cone called a jacket. They are used in roadside bombs in Iraq to penetrate through APC armor and kill American soldiers. The primary warhead used for High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) shells is the shaped charge. They require precision machining and can be manufactured in Iraq or smuggled from Iran.
A shaped charge is a specially forged explosive designed to project a superheated jet of liquid metal through armor. Dense, ductile metals are most effective, copper being the most common. Modern shaped charges can achieve a penetration of 10 CD (cone diameters). For example, a shaped charge with a cone diameter of 10 cm (4 in) would be able to penetrate a meter through armour. Shaped charges have become famous in Iraq, where they are used in roadside bombs to penetrate through APC armor and kill American soldiers.
The shaped charge consists of a cone or cylinder shaped high explosive, such as HMX embedded in a plastic binder. The charge is partially emptied and filled with a metal cone called a jacket. This is the portion that becomes the superheated jet. When the explosive is detonated, the jacket cone is compressed into a jet and accelerated forward. The tip of the shaped charge jet moves at hypersonic speeds, between 7 and 14 km/s, which is 20-40 times the speed of sound. The combination of heat and extreme speed is enough to pierce most types of tank armor.
The primary warhead used for High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) shells is the shaped charge. A variation on the theme is the SFF (Self-Forging Fragment), or EFP (Explosively Formed Projectile), where a metal plate is placed in the front of the shaped charge. The plate is melted and accelerated forward to great speed (1-2 km/sec), not as fast as the jet in a conventional shaped charge, but still useful. This variant gives it greater range than the conventional jet, up to hundreds of CDs rather than just 10.
Shaped charges require precision machining to function properly, or in some cases, at all. The precision machining requirement led US forces in Iraq to announce that the shaped charges that kill US troops were likely manufactured in Iran and smuggled across the border. However, more recently it has been discovered that some facilities in Iraq may have the processing capability.
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