Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | Johnson, Tracy |
Date: | Tue, 11 Mar 2003 12:47:43 -0500 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
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The other issue is that DU rounds are no longer being used.
(Except in the U.K. where they will be simply used up.)
Tracy Johnson
MSI Schaevitz Sensors
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Denys Beauchemin [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 11:28 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT : US uses Indian 'threat' to force Pak
> support
>
>
> The Republic Thunderbolt II A-10 (AKA Warthog) is indeed a
> formidable ground attack aircraft. The plane is built around the
> seven-barrel GAU 8/A 30mm Avenger cannon, which fires a .94
> lbs (.49kg) round made up of depleted uranium. The Warthog carries a
> full load of 1,174 rounds and a variety of ordnance on up to
> 11 hard points under the wings and fuselage. The primary
> weapon of the
> A-10 however, is the AGM-65 Maverick missile because of its
> accuracy, effectiveness and the fact it can be fired from a longer
> distance than the Avenger gun.
>
> The use of depleted uranium in the core of a projectile has
> raised some controversy ever since its debut. At first, the Soviets
> accused the US of fielding atomic weapons in the A-10 but the
> radioactivity of the DU round is really negligible. The reason DU is
> used in such rounds is a question of mass. DU is extremely
> dense (2.5 times greater than steel) and can thus concentrate a lot of
> mass on a single hard point inside the projectile. This
> dense core can defeat most armor.
>
> The M-1 Abrams main battle tank also uses DU in two ways. 1-
> The 120mm smoothbore round it fires also as a DU core. It is much
> bigger than the one in the 30mm round of the A-10. 2- The
> armor of the M-1 Abrams tank is made up of DU encased in steel.
>
> http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/faq_17apr.htm
>
> I do not know where Guy got his figure of 10,000 but I
> suspect it is inconsistent with reality. Whilst we have all
> heard of Gulf
> War syndrome or disease, it has nothing to do with DU. On the
> other hand it is much more likely that such a syndrome may be
> associated with exposure to undetected bio- or chemical
> weapons used by Saddam.
>
> BTW, the British Challenger II main battle tank also fires a
> 120mm round with a core of DU.
>
> Denys
>
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