Profile
- Origin
- Belgium / United Kingdom
- Type
- 76 mm fixed HESH-T / HEP-T tank-gun round
- Service note
- Cold War-era 76 mm tank ammunition family
- Produced
- In service by 2016
Munitions
76mm HEP-T M329
Also known as
- 76mm HESH-T M329
- 76 mm HESH-T M329
- 76mm HEP-T M329
- 76 mm HEP-T M329
- M329
- HESH-T M329
- HEP-T M329
The 76mm HEP-T M329 is a MECAR high-explosive squash head service round for the British L5A1 and L23/L23A1 76 mm gun family used on Saladin and Scorpion vehicles. Nexter's 2016 ammunition catalog lists it as an in-service fixed HESH-T round for personnel, bunkers, light armour, structures, and other material targets, with a Composition A3-filled projectile, base-detonating graze fuze, M23 tracer, and 533 m/s nominal muzzle velocity.
Profile / Specs
Specifications
- Calibre
- 76 mm
- Round type
- Fixed HESH-T / HEP-T service round
- Compatible guns
- L5A1 and L23/L23A1 76 mm guns
- Round mass
- 7.7 kg nominal
- Round length
- 540 mm
- Projectile mass
- 5.6 kg nominal
- Projectile filling
- 1.2 kg Composition A3
- Fuze
- Base-detonating / graze
- Tracer
- M23
- Cartridge case
- Brass
- Primer
- Percussion cap
- Propellant
- 0.7 kg single-base propellant, nominal
- Muzzle velocity
- 533 m/s nominal at 21 C
- Range
- 2,400 m direct fire / 6,000 m indirect fire
- Dispersion
- 0.5 mils
- Operational temperature
- -32 C to +62 C
- Packaging
- 2 rounds per twin container; 36 containers per pallet
- UN classification
- 1.1 E, UN 0006
- Catalog status
- In service in Nexter's 2016 catalog
Projectile Construction
Nexter's MECAR listing identifies M329 as a fixed HESH-T service round rather than a complete weapon system, so this page treats it as linked ammunition for cataloged guns and vehicles.
Projectile body
Hollow thin-wall forged steel projectile with a flat base, cylindrical body, and ogive nose.
Explosive filling
Composition A3 high explosive, listed in the technical table as 1.2 kg.
Initiation and trace
Rear-mounted base-detonating/graze fuze with an M23 tracer on the projectile base.
Fixed round assembly
Projectile fixed to a brass cartridge case with single-base multi-perforated propellant and a percussion primer.
Source: Nexter 2016 Catalog.
Variants
M329 sits in the 76 mm fixed ammunition set for Saladin L5A1 and Scorpion L23/L23A1 guns, alongside high-explosive, training, canister, blank, and smoke natures.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | High-explosive tracer round | Nexter lists M330 as the HE-T personnel and materiel round in the same L5A1 and L23/L23A1 ammunition family. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
| HESH training round | Nexter describes M331 as a live-fire training round that is similar in appearance and ballistics to the M329 service round. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
 | Close-range canister round | Nexter lists M333 as the close-quarters personnel round in the same 76 mm gun-family set. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
| Blank training and saluting cartridge | Nexter lists M335 as a blank cartridge for training sound effects and saluting with the same L5A1 and L23/L23A1 guns. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
| Smoke, spotting, and signalling round | Nexter lists M337 as the smoke round for the same 76 mm Saladin and Scorpion gun family. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
Firing Weapons
Nexter and Chemring place M329 in the 76 mm ammunition family for the L5A1 and L23/L23A1 gun systems.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 76 mm rifled tank gun | Nexter lists M329 for the 76 mm L5A1 gun used on Saladin vehicles. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
 | 76 mm low-velocity tank gun | Nexter lists M329 for the L23 and L23A1 guns used on Scorpion light tanks. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog |
Carrier Vehicles
The carrier-vehicle links are derived through the 76 mm gun installations identified in the ammunition catalogs.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 6x6 armored reconnaissance car | Nexter lists M329 for the Saladin's 76 mm L5A1 gun, and Chemring identifies the L5 weapon system family with Saladin vehicles. |
 | Tracked light tank | Nexter lists M329 for the Scorpion's L23 and L23A1 76 mm guns, while Think Defence describes the L23A1 as an L5A1 derivative with fixed-ammunition interchangeability. Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog, Think Defence |
Timeline
76mm HEP-T M329 Key Events
MECAR enters Chemring portfolio
Chemring's heritage page says it acquired Mecar SPRL, a Nivelles, Belgium medium- and large-calibre ammunition maker, in September 2010.
Sources: Chemring heritage
Chemring announces sale to Nexter
Chemring announced a proposed sale of Mecar and Simmel to Nexter Systems, moving the European munitions business out of Chemring's portfolio.
Sources: Chemring 2014 disposal
M329 cataloged as in service
Nexter's 2016 ammunition catalog lists MECAR 76mm HESH-T M329 as an in-service round for Saladin L5A1 and Scorpion L23/L23A1 guns.
Sources: Nexter 2016 Catalog
Media
76mm HEP-T M329 Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Nexter 2016 CatalogPublisher: Internet Archive / Nexter | Note: Supports the M329 designation, MECAR catalog context, mission, compatibility, projectile construction, technical data, packaging, in-service status, and related 76 mm ammunition-family rows. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Chemring Munitions CatalogPublisher: Yumpu / Chemring Group PLC | Note: Supports Chemring's listing of M329 in the 76 mm L5 and L23 weapon-system ammunition family used on Scorpion and Saladin vehicles. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Think DefencePublisher: Think Defence | Note: Supports the L23A1 gun-family context and its fixed-ammunition interchangeability with the L5A1 family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Chemring heritagePublisher: Chemring Group PLC | Note: Supports Mecar's Belgian base, medium- and large-calibre ammunition focus, Chemring acquisition in September 2010, and later sale in 2014. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Chemring 2014 disposalPublisher: Chemring Group PLC | Note: Supports Chemring's 2014 announcement that Mecar and Simmel were proposed for sale to Nexter Systems as its European munitions business. | Accessed: 2026-07-0476mm dummy shell.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a representative 76 mm cartridge image; the Commons description identifies it as a naval-gun dummy shell rather than M329-specific media. | Accessed: 2026-07-04HESH function diagramPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a representative HESH function diagram used to explain the projectile type. | Accessed: 2026-07-04