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From: gwh%headcrash.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: depleted uranium ammunition
Summary: Some Small Details...
Message-ID: <15408@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 10 Apr 90 16:44:11 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: ucb
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From: gwh%headcrash.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (George William Herbert)
In article <15264@cbnews.ATT.COM> pfloyd@wpi.wpi.edu (The Floydian Slip) writes:
>
>>From: mathers@trlsasb.trl.oz (Steven Mathers)
>>What can anyone tell me about ammo using depleted uranium?
>>Would an m16 using such ammo seriously worry a tank for instance?
>>What actually happens when the bullet/shell/missile hits the target?
>
>The depleted uranium rounds are only used in the A-10's GAU-8 Avenger
>30mm rotary cannon.
>
>	[mod.note:  DU rounds are also provided for the 105mm and 120mm
>	guns mounted in the M1 Abrams.  Does anyone know if they're
>	also available for the Bradley ? - Bill ]
Weapons I am aware of that use DU in their ammo include all the above [just 
about all tank main weaponry too] and also the Vulcan 20mm [the ammo was 
developed for the Phalanx CIWS on ships, but has been back-qualified on all
other models of M-61 vulcan, including the 3-barrel helicopter variant and all
ground mounted AAA variants.  The Bradley;s 25mm M242 cannon can fire a DU 
round also, though I am not sure if that is the standard AP round deployed.


>The upshot of using depleted uranium is that, because it is so dense, it will
>penetrate both the top armour, any spalling protection inside, and the bottom 
>armour of a tank. Quite a few of the pilots would rather use the pratice rounds
>for the Avenger, because they won't go through the bottom armour-- they'll just
>stay inside and bang around for a while.
>I believe they can also ignite on contact with the armour.
>It's a waste to produce rounds of this sort for, say, an M-16 rifle.

The TP rounds also won't penetrate a MBT except for a really-high angle attack,
and the AF is trying to keep the A-10's as low as possible.  They all will fly
with the AP rounds in combat.

The 'igniting on contact' is a misunderstanding.  Uranium is pyrolitic and will
ignite very easily [like but not as extreme as phosphorus].  

It is in no way a waste to produce AP small arms rounds.  They are extremely 
useful in many situations, and DU ammo has been made for small arms.  A lot of
snipers will use AP in special situations, and it's becoming more likely that
the next generation infantry weapon will use AP ammo to defeat personal armour.


*******************************************************************************
George William Herbert     JOAT For Hire: Anything, Anywhere: My Price
UCB Naval Architecture undergrad: Engineering with a Bouyant Attitude :-)
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