Armour-piercing discarding sabot

Armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) is a type of kinetic energy projectile fired from a gun to attack armoured targets. APDS rounds are sabot rounds and were commonly used in large calibre tank guns, but have now been superseded by armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) projectiles in such guns. However, APDS rounds are still commonly used in small or medium calibre weapon systems. For a given calibre, this type of ammunition can effectively double the armour penetration of a gun, compared to those firing armour-piercing (AP), AP - capped (APC), or APC + ballistic cap (APCBC) projectiles. The Saboted light armor penetrator concept applies this technology to small arms calibres.