DM33 APFSDS

Earlier-generation German 120 mm tungsten APFSDS tank round fielded on the Leopard 2 before the DM43/DM53 series.

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-05

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

German export-licensed

BAFA licensing with strict end-use review; approvals can be politically constrained.

Channel: Direct commercial / G2G

Fielded & proven

Operator data not public

Status: legacy.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

120 mm NATO smoothbore

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better, ammunition commonality matters.: 120 mm

Munition

Round type, penetration, velocity and projectile data.

Round type APFSDS (kinetic sabot), HEAT / multipurpose, HE-FRAG, canister or gun-launched ATGM.: APFSDS
Caliber Bore diameter the round is fired from.: 120 mm
Penetration Published/estimated rolled-homogeneous-armour-equivalent penetration. Values are open-source estimates; real figures are classified.: 470 mm RHA

Stronger than 38% of munitions
Muzzle velocity Speed as the projectile leaves the barrel. Higher flattens trajectory and shortens time-to-target.: 1,650 m/s

Stronger than 67% of munitions
Projectile mass Mass of the projectile or penetrator assembly.: 7.4 kg

Specifications compiled from public Rheinmetall and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-05.

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