Figure 2-13.—Mk 5 Mod 0 high-explosive antitank warhead.
Figure 2-14.—Mk 32 Mod 0 AT/APERS warhead.
Figure 2-15.—Mk 24 Mod 0 high-explosive, general-purpose (GP) warhead.
the jet from the cone at the forward end. The booster in
the aft end detonates the warhead by transmitting an
explosive impulse along a length of detonating cord. It
connects the booster charge to the initiating charge,
which is next to the nose fuze. The combination of an
instantaneous-acting nose fuze and rapid-burning
detonating cord permits detonation of the explosive load
in time for the shaped-charge to produce its explosive
jet before being disintegrated upon target impact. The
only AT/APERS warhead currently in use is the Mk 32
Mod 0.
GP WARHEAD.— The high-explosive, general-
purpose (GP) warhead (fig. 2-15) is a compromise
between the armor-piercing and the fragmentation
designs. The walls and nose section are not as strong as
those of an armor-piercing warhead, yet they are
stronger than those of a fragmentation warhead. The
explosive charge is greater than that in the
armor-piercing warhead, but less than that in the
fragmentation warhead.
The GP warhead is used against a variety of targets.
Maximum penetration is obtained by using a solid nose
plug and the delayed-action base fuze. Its maximum
blast effect is obtained by using an instantaneous-acting
nose fuze. The only GP warhead currently in use is the
Mk 24 Mod 0.
FLECHETTE WARHEADS.— Flechette war-
heads (fig. 2-16) are used against personnel and light
Figure 2-16.—WDU-A/A flechette warhead.
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