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Originally posted by twhiteheadHussein had a LOT of tanks I believe. I'm not a military expert by any means though.
Why does the Wikipedia page suggest that a large quantity of us munitions contain depleted uranium and that over 1000 tons of depleted uranium was used in the war. Were there really that many tanks to shoot at, or are they in fact used for buildings and other targets as well?
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Which wiki page?
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Found it, the depleted uranium page. That fact comes from here:
Experts have calculated that from all sources between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of depleted uranium were used by the coalition in the three-week conflict.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/apr/25/internationaleducationnews.armstrade
Is the Guardian reliable?
Originally posted by AThousandYoungI have no idea.
Is the Guardian reliable?
Can you find any source that suggests that DU weapons are used exclusively for tanks?
The Wikipedia page suggests that many large guns including tanks, helicopters, ships and vehicle mounted guns use DU rounds. At no point does it say they are exclusively for use against tanks.
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Originally posted by twhiteheadLarge artillery guns, tanks, M-2 Bradleys, AH-64 Apache helicopters and A-10 warthogs use it for destroying armor, fired in Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot form at high velocity from their cannons. They have other kinds of ammo for soft targets.
I have no idea.
Can you find any source that suggests that DU weapons are used exclusively for tanks?
The Wikipedia page suggests that many large guns including tanks, helicopters, ships and vehicle mounted guns use DU rounds. At no point does it say they are exclusively for use against tanks.
The Navy uses them in it's defensive Phalanx system to shoot down projectiles before they hit the ship but other than that it's purely anti-armor from what little I know.
Do I have a source? No. EDIT - See below.
In military applications, when alloyed, Depleted Uranium is ideal for use in armor penetrators. These solid metal projectiles have the speed, mass and physical properties to perform exceptionally well against armored targets. DU provides a substantial performance advantage, well above other competing materials. This allows DU penetrators to defeat an armored target at a significantly greater distance. Also, DU's density and physical properties make it ideal for use as armor plate. DU has been used in weapon systems for many years in both applications.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/du.htm
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Originally posted by LifehouseInfantry have a rough time humping high velocity cannons, so they have to use self propelled rockets instead. This means the projectile cannot hit the target at high enough speed to act as a kinetic penetrator, and so the lesser armor piercing tecnhology of the High Explosive Anti Tank warhead is used instead. In order to be maximally effective, however, the missile has to come in from above which requires guidance software and stuff, while the APFSDS can punch straight through with direct fire - if you have a high velocity cannon.
Like these ones??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH4PkOhrSn0
In short, no DU is in that anti-tank weapon, and it is nothing like the DU penetrators except that both are intended to destroy armor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FGM-148_Javelin