A shaped charge is an explosive charge with a shaped cavity which forces the explosive’s energy to the front in order to have an armor-piercing effect. Modern lined shaped charges can penetrate armor steel to a depth of 7 times the diameter of the charge’s cone.
A shaped charge is a concave metal cone which is backed by a high explosive, all in an aluminum or steel casing. This metal cone is called liner. When the high explosive is detonated, the metal liner, or cone, is compressed and squeezed forward, forming a jet whose tip may travel as fast as 10 kilometers per second.
This jet of molten metal easily perforates an unprotected steel armor, hitting the surface at a speed of 8,000 meters per second and extremely high pressure.
[...] and the warhead to a projectile, but with the difference that this anti-tank projectile contained a shaped charge which melted the steel at the point impact. The Panzerfaust was manufactured between 1943 and 1945 [...]