The Danish Defense Procurement and Logistics Organization (DALO) has awarded a EUR 2.8 million contract to Rheinmetallwaffe Munition GmbH for the modification and upgrading of 120mm tank ammunition, according to a tender notice posted on the EU Tenders Electronic Daily website . Rheinmetall has therefore been commissioned to convert the Danish army's existing stock of DM53A1 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) ammunition to the DM73 APFSDS standard. This will improve the ability of the Danish Army's Leopard 2 main battle tanks to effectively engage and defeat heavy tanks.
The DM73 APFSDS uses the same tungsten penetrator as the DM53A1, but uses a more powerful propellant to increase penetration by six to eight percent. So Danish rearmament would consist of removing the projectile from the cartridge, replacing the propellant and primer if necessary, and reinserting the projectile. This also has the advantage of increasing the durability of the ammunition, as the propellant and primer are usually the limiting factors in the durability of this type of ammunition.
Thomas Nielsen
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