re: Russian Search and Rescue Helicopter Shot Down by US Backed Rebels

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Agreed. The video shows a TOW hitting a helicopter sitting on the ground- and they blow it to shite.

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And that's the key difference between a TOW and a sabot. A TOW has an exploding shape-charge warhead, much like a HEAT round. Here's a diagram of a TOW II to illustrate;


See the reversed cone in the warhead? It's made to focus the force of the exploding warhead into a molten stream that is intended to defeat armor. Now here's a diagram of a HEAT round;

As you can see it has the same style shaped charge warhead.

As for a sabot, it has no explosive warhead. Sabots are what is known as a "kinetic energy" round. This means it uses the force of it's own impact to do it's damage. It simply has a harden (usually tungsten or depleted uranium) dart-like penetrator as you can see here;

(The round partially cut-way body you see around the dart is the actual "sabot". It's pourpose is to guide the dart straight through the gun tube and once it leaves the tube the "sabot" falls away like this:)

How a sabot does it's damage is when it hits the side of an armored vehicle, it's outer layer becomes molten. As it penetrates the armor it sprays that outer molten layer inside the vehicle. Sabots are very effective against heavily armored targets such as main battle tanks. They are less effective against lighter vehicles because due to the thinner armor on those vehicles they tend to just punch a very small hole straight through without doing much damage. HEAT rounds on the other hand are very effective against lighter armored vehicles (and helicopters).

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Damn is this WW3 about to really pop off??

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This business will get out of control . . .

Goddammit

From the wording in that video, one can only guess what side they're on

I'm just surprised they didn't behead someone and drag them behind their truck