Chobham armour

Chobham armour is a composite armour developed at the British tank research centre on Chobham Common[?]. Although the exact composition of Chobham armour remains a secret, it appears to be a combination of ceramic and heavy metal armour. The former largely nullifies the effect of HEAT rounds whilst the latter reduces the impact damage from APDS rounds. The metal used appears to be either tungsten or, in the case of later M1 Abrams tanks, depleted uranium.

The effectiveness of Chobham armour was demonstrated in the first Gulf War, where no Coalition tank was destroyed by Iraqi ones. Chobham armour is used on the Challenger II, the Leopard II and the M1 Abrams series of tanks.