Profile
- Origin
- Belgium
- Built by
- MECAR
- Type
- 76 mm high-explosive tracer round
- Service note
- Cold War-era 76 mm tank ammunition family
- Produced
- In service by 2016
Munitions
76mm HE-T M330
Also known as
- 76mm HE-T M330
- 76 mm HE-T M330
- M330
The 76mm HE-T M330 is a Belgian MECAR fixed high-explosive tracer round for the L5A1 and L23/L23A1 gun family used by Saladin and Scorpion vehicles. Nexter catalogs it as an in-service infantry fire-support round for personnel and materiel targets, built around a Composition B-filled fragmentation projectile with an M23 tracer and 514 m/s nominal muzzle velocity.
Profile / Specs
Specifications
- Calibre
- 76 mm
- Round type
- Fixed HE-T round
- Round mass
- 7.7 kg
- Round length
- 535 mm
- Projectile mass
- 5.6 kg
- Projectile filling
- 0.7 kg Composition B
- Fuze
- M739 point-detonating or equivalent
- Tracer
- M23
- Cartridge case
- Brass
- Primer
- Percussion cap
- Propellant
- 0.7 kg SB
- Muzzle velocity
- 514 m/s
- Range
- 2,400 m direct fire / 6,000 m indirect fire
- Fragmentation
- About 800 fragments
- Packaging
- 2 rounds per twin container; 36 containers per pallet
- Operational temperature
- -32 C to +62 C
- UN classification
- 1.1E, UN 0006
Variants
M330 sits inside the 76 mm Saladin and Scorpion ammunition family alongside service, training, smoke, canister, and blank rounds for the L5 and L23 gun systems.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | HESH / HEP service round | Nexter and Chemring list M329 as a related 76 mm service round for the same L5A1 and L23/L23A1 gun family. |
| HESH training round | Nexter lists M331 as a live-fire training round for the same Saladin and Scorpion 76 mm gun family. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
 | Short-range canister round | Nexter lists M333 as the close-quarters personnel round in the same 76 mm ammunition set. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
| Blank training and saluting cartridge | Nexter lists M335 as a fixed blank cartridge for training sound effects and saluting in the same L5A1 and L23/L23A1 gun family. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
| Smoke, spotting, and signalling round | Nexter lists M337 as the white-phosphorus smoke round in the same 76 mm family and notes ballistic similarity to M330. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
| 76mm SMK BE M334 | Smoke-family round | Chemring lists M334 alongside M330 in the L5 and L23 76 mm ammunition family. Sources: Chemring Munitions Catalog |
Firing Weapons
Nexter places M330 in the fixed 76 mm ammunition set for the Saladin L5A1 and Scorpion L23/L23A1 gun family.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 76 mm rifled tank gun | Nexter lists M330 for the 76 mm L5A1 gun used on Saladin vehicles. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
 | 76 mm low-velocity tank gun | Nexter lists M330 for the L23 and L23A1 guns used on Scorpion light tanks. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
Carrier Vehicles
The same catalog ties the round to vehicles through their compatible 76 mm gun installations.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 6x6 armored reconnaissance car | Nexter lists M330 for the Saladin's 76 mm L5A1 gun family as an HE-T round for personnel and materiel targets. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
 | Tracked light tank | Nexter lists M330 for the FV101 Scorpion's L23 and L23A1 76 mm guns as an infantry fire-support HE-T round. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
High-Explosive Tracer Profile
Nexter's M330 listing defines the round by its HE-T projectile, tracer-equipped base, and direct-fire support role in the Saladin and Scorpion 76 mm gun family.
Mission
Personnel and materiel targets, including infantry fire-support use from L5A1 and L23/L23A1 guns.
Projectile
High-fragmentation steel projectile with 0.7 kg Composition B fill, point-detonating fuze, and M23 tracer.
Handling
Fixed brass-cased round with percussion primer, 0.7 kg single-base propellant, two-round twin containers, and 36 containers per pallet.
Source: Nexter 2016 Catalog.
Timeline
76mm HE-T M330 Key Events
Chemring acquires MECAR
Chemring says it acquired Belgian medium- and large-calibre ammunition maker MECAR in September 2010.
Sources: Chemring heritage
Nexter catalogs M330 as in service
Nexter's 2016 ammunition catalog lists the 76mm HE-T M330 as an in-service MECAR round for Saladin L5A1 and Scorpion L23/L23A1 guns.
Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog
Media
76mm HE-T M330 Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Nexter 2016 CatalogPublisher: Internet Archive / Nexter | Note: Supports the M330 designation, mission, technical data, and Saladin/Scorpion gun-family context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Chemring heritagePublisher: Chemring Group PLC | Note: Supports Mecar's Belgian base and Chemring ownership/background context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Chemring Munitions CatalogPublisher: Yumpu / Chemring Group PLC | Note: Supports M330 as a Chemring-listed 76 mm round in the L5 and L23 weapon-system ammunition family used on Scorpion and Saladin vehicles. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Mil-Spec Industries M330 pagePublisher: Mil-Spec Industries | Note: Supports an independent product listing identifying M330 as 76 mm HE-T ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-07-0176mm dummy shell.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the representative 76 mm cartridge image. | Accessed: 2026-07-0176mmShell.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the second gallery image, a representative 76 mm shell photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-0176mm ob25 shells.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the third gallery image, a representative 76 mm shell photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-01