The Danish armed forces are the first to order Rheinmetall's newly developed PELE 120mm KE round. PELE stands for "Penetrator with Enhanced Lateral Effect". The procurement package includes the modification of existing tank ammunition (the DM 33 A2) in order to improve its effectiveness in modern combat scenarios, including possible military operations in urban terrain. Never attained before, the prime advantage of the PELE system is its pinpoint effectiveness in the target zone, resulting in a drastic reduction in collateral damage.

After Finland, Denmark is the second Scandinavian country to procure the new DM 53 A1, an advanced version of Rheinmetall's DM 53 120mm KE tank round. The ammunition, currently being supplied in series to the armed forces of Germany, Austria and Turkey as the DM 63, uses the newly developed TIPS "temperature-independent propulsion system". TIPS is qualified for a substantially wider operational temperature range (-46 deg.C to 63 deg.C), meaning that the ammunition is safe to use in extreme climate zones. This closes an important capability gap.

Moreover, the DM 63 can defeat the latest armour. It also causes less barrel erosion thanks to this state-of-the-art propulsion system, in turn resulting in longer barrel life.

A live-fire campaign in mid September 2006 at the Danish Army's training area in Oksboel, Denmark once again demonstrated the soundness of this decision: representatives from 12 nations were able to see for themselves the effectiveness of Rheinmetall's 120mm DM 53 A1 / DM 63 and 120mm PELE ammunition, all of which are qualified for use in the Leopard 2 gun.

As part of this 120mm ammunition procurement package, all service ammunition in the Danish inventory will be equipped with measurement technology: developed by Rheinmetall, new high-tech data boxes form the foundation for lifecycle ammunition management. Here, too, Denmark is the pilot customer.

Compared to previous techniques, Rheinmetall data boxes are a much more accurate means of detecting and recording data on stored and transported ammunition. Among the principal data recorded are information on relative humidity, temperature and shocks experienced during shipping. With regard to ammunition safety and ammunition monitoring, the accumulated data enable highly reliable statements on the usability and remaining lifetime of the ammunition. The system thus makes an important contribution to cutting costs.

Sergyi Way
22.11.2006

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