Armour-piercing discarding sabot higher muzzle velocity. Unfortunately the low sectional density of the APCR resulted in poor carrying power (high aerodynamic drag), losing velocity and penetration rapidly over distance. To overcome these limitations the British devised a way for the outer sheath to be discarded after leaving the bore. The name given to the discarded outer sheath was the sabot (a French word for a wooden shoe). For APDS projectiles the sabot is also known as a pot, as the sabot resembles a flower pot in shape. The APDS has the advantages of the lightweight projectile with regards to bore acceleration and high
Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot markets are considered, a sabot designed specifically to launch a DU penetrator cannot simply be used to launch a substitute WA penetrator, even of exactly the same manufactured geometry. The two materials behave significantly different under high pressure, high launch acceleration forces, such that entirely different sabot material geometries, (thicker or thinner in some places, if even possible), are required to maintain in-bore structural integrity. Typical velocities of APFSDS rounds vary between manufacturers and muzzle length/types. As a typical example, the American General Dynamics KEW-A1 has a muzzle velocity of 1,740 m/s (5,700 ft/s). This compares to 914 m/s (3,000