The tank cartridge, 120mm, Canister, XM1028, is a tank round comprised of 1150 tungsten balls, which are expelled upon muzzle exit. While the dispersion pattern incresses with range as the velocity of the balls decreases, the dense tungsten balls are used to minimize the velocity fall-off.

The requirements of the round are to provide effective rapid lethal reaction against massed assulting infantry armed with hand held anti-tank and automatic weapons at close range (500 meters or less) thereby improving survivability. Additionally, this round will signigficantly increase the tank's lethality and enhance the tank crew's survivability. This additional capability will give the Abrams Tank the ability to survive RPG ambushes and fully support friendly infantry assults.

View tank canister being fired from Abrams Tank.
(It's pretty impressive at the end of the video when you view the tank taking out a row of targets that could be 50 to 100 yards wide and from a distance of 3 to 4 hundred yards, We can only guess or estimate the distance used from this video.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgn1nhUEgo8

That's impressive.

We could have used the canister 'shotgun' round in the south pacific during WW II. And Nam. It could clear all enemy resistance hidden in dense foilage and tree growth. And it wouldn't necessarily have to be fired from a tank.

I have been an Abrams Armor Crewman (19K) for 3 years now and have yet to have the opportunity to fire a CAN round. Hoping one day I get to, they are devastating.

Served 1976-83
MOS 63E3H
Battalion Maintence Recovery Sergeant 1980-83 HHc 2/64 Armor Schweinfurt, 2nd battalion in Europe to receive M1 tanks, I went to school for M1 at vilseck FRG for what was than called XM1