A high-explosive shockhead (abbreviated HESH, acronym for High Explosive Squash Head) is a type of antitank ammunition whose warhead is filled with a ductile plastic explosive and a delayed-action fuze that delays the explosion of the charge . In this way the projectile is crushed against the armor before its detonation. In doing so, it transmits an enormous energy to the metal, causing it to vibrate at such a frequency that it causes its rupture by its internal face, violently throwing remains of the same armor as a shrapnel that causes death or serious injuries to the crew. This ammunition does not depend on the speed to be effective.
It was used profusely by English forces during the first Gulf War.
A HESH projectile still maintains the documented world record of further destruction between tanks, in which a British Challenger destroyed an Iraqi T-72 from 5,100 meters away.
To combat this type of ammunition composite shields are effective, thanks to being formed of multiple layers of different materials, avoid the formation of the shock wave breaker. Another passive solution is to equip the tank with a layer of soft antimetralla material on its inner face, such as kevlar.
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