Over the last two decades there has been a new generation of tank gun ammunition. Some of these American rounds proved very useful in Iraq and Israel. The new shells were better at killing infantry and destroying bunkers and buildings, rather than destroying tanks. With the end of the Cold War there has not been a lot of tank-versus-tank combat and existing anti-tank shells were more than adequate.
In the 1990s, new shells were developed for these new conditions. Older shells were recycled with new features. Thus 19,000 American M830A1 multipurpose 120mm tank gun rounds were modified to become M908 shells (similar to the Israel M329). This made them more lethal against bunkers, buildings, and unarmored vehicles. In addition, there was the M1028, which is a 120mm shotgun shell (containing 1100 10mm tungsten balls that can kill or wound at up to 700 meters from the tank), that began production in 2002. This shell, and the M908, was what American M-1 tanks use nearly all the time in Iraq.
Primary Source:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20120418.aspxGood Hunting.
MR
