What is a key difference between high-explosive and armor-piercing rounds?

High-explosive rounds and armor-piercing rounds serve distinctly different purposes on the battlefield, which is crucial for understanding their application. The defining characteristic of high-explosive rounds is their ability to produce a significant blast effect upon detonation. This blast can cause widespread damage to enemy personnel and light fortifications, making them effective for general explosive use. In contrast, armor-piercing rounds are specifically engineered to penetrate armor and are designed to focus their energy on penetrating hard targets such as vehicles or protective gear.

The first choice highlights this essential difference clearly, indicating that high-explosive rounds are primarily for creating explosions and causing destruction in a large area, while armor-piercing rounds are focused on overcoming protective barriers and delivering damage to armored threats.

The other distinctions provided in the remaining choices involve generalizations that do not accurately depict the primary functional differences between these types of ammunition. Factors like cost, versatility, or the specific types of weapons they are used in may vary but do not capture the core operational roles that differentiate high-explosive from armor-piercing rounds.