STAFF Shell

The Smart Target Activated Fire and Forget (STAFF) Shell is a tank round designed to increase hit probability and damage by firing an explosively formed penetrator onto the top of an armored vehicle. The round acts like a regular shell for most of its flight. When it detects an incoming target, it orients itself and fires the penetrator.

Battlefield 4
"A 120mm shell with a smart warhead that will identify enemy targets and explode above them for a critical hit."

- Battlelog

The STAFF Shell is a secondary armament for main battle tanks in Battlefield 4. While capable of direct attack, it is designed to automatically adopt a high-angle attack. It is capable of attacking armor behind short buildings or other low cover.

Unlike its real-world counterpart, it functions somewhat like the MBT-LAW, actually steering the shell to perform a high-angle attack. It follows an initial ballistic trajectory for roughly 100 meters, then switches to a missile-like trajectory until it detects a nearby vehicle.

While the Guided Shell cannot initially lock onto air vehicles without laser designation, the STAFF Shell is able to attack both ground and air vehicles.

Currently, the STAFF Shell has an independent reload timer, much like the Canister Shell had early in the run of Battlefield 3. It can be fired shortly after switching from the primary shell type without needing to wait for the rounds to be swapped.

Trivia

 * The STAFF Shell is based on the XM943 STAFF developed by Alliant Techsystems.