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Originally posted by gsmoove23
GP, all very well and good, but you didn't say anything. For instance, do you think that conventional ammo would have faced much difficulty in disabling Iraqi armor quickly and efficiently. I doubt it. This is the disproportionate use of a weapon with potentially dangerous side-effects, no one can say for sure what the side-effects are because no one has taken the time to seriously study the subject.
I wouldn't have any particular problems with its use if American tanks were facing up against weapons systems that offered them a significant challenge where you might be able to say use of DU will save x amount of soldiers but I do not think thats the case here. If you do please take the time to explain how.
GP, all very well and good, but you didn't say anything. For instance, do you think that conventional ammo would have faced much difficulty in disabling Iraqi armor quickly and efficiently. I doubt it. This is the disproportionate use of a weapon with potentially dangerous side-effects, no one can say for sure what the side-effects are because no one has taken the time to seriously study the subject.
I wouldn't have any particular problems with its use if American tanks were facing up against weapons systems that offered them a significant challenge where you might be able to say use of DU will save x amount of soldiers but I do not think thats the case here. If you do please take the time to explain how.
The following story happened to an M1 Abrams main battle tank in General Barry McCaffrey's 24th Mechanized Infantry Division during the Gulf War.
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It was raining heavily, and one M1 managed to get stuck in a mud hole and could not be extracted. With the rest of their unit moving on, the crew of the stuck tank waited for a recovery vehicle to pull them out.
Suddenly, as they were waiting, three Iraqi T-72 tanks came over a hill and charged the mud-bogged tank. One T-72 fired a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round that hit the frontal turret armor of the M1, but did no damage. At this point, the crew of the M1, though still stuck, fired a 120mm armor-piercing round at the attacking tank. The round penetrated the T-72s turret, blowing it off into the air. By this time, the second T-72 also fired a HEAT round at the M1. That also hit the front of the turret, and did no damage. The M1 immediately dispatched this T-72 with another 120mm round. After that the third and now last T-72 fired a 125mm armor-piercing round at the M1 from a range of 400 meters. This only grooved the front armor plate. Seeing that continued action did not have much of a future, the crew of the last T-72 decided to run for cover. Spying a nearby sand berm, the Iraqis darted behind it, thinking they would be safe their. Back in the M1, the crew saw through their Thermal Imaging Sight the hot plume of the T-72's engine exhaust spewing up from behind the berm. Aiming carefully the M1's crew fired a third 120mm round through the berm, into the tank, destroying it.
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The above story copied from "Armored Cav - A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment" by Tom Clancy. Visit the Tom Clancy home page.
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WhaleNotes on the above story
American Tank Armor
The American Abrams tank was able to survive due to the advanced and classified nature of the armor on the tank. The Abrams tank contains a reactive armor (which means that parts of it may explode back at the shell as it explodes against the armor) and also contains depleted uranium. Other countries use reactive armor, the T-72 tanks had it, but they don't have the depleted uranium. We are the only country using that technology. Depleted uranium is very very hard (and very very toxic).
HEAT Rounds
Note that the M1 tank was directly hit by two HEAT (High Explosive - Anti Tank) rounds from the Iraqi tanks. The HEAT rounds are shaped charge explosive shells designed to defeat heavy tank armor. When these HEAT rounds contact another object they explode throwing out a compressed jet of material at up to 29,500 feet per second (Mach 25!) in a small concentrated area. Note that the American tank survived two direct hits of this type with no damage. Don't try this at home.
SABOT Rounds
The other type of round that hit the American tank was referred to as an armor-piercing round. These are sometimes referred to as SABOT rounds or Long-Rod Penetrators. They are basically long thin rods, up to 2 feet long and weighing about 10 lbs. This "dart" is fin stabilized to ensure that it flies straight. The hardness of these darts is critical to their success. These rounds work using only kinetic energy and do not explode on impact. Their damage potential comes from their hitting a very small area (smaller than the HEAT rounds) with tremendous force. They can fly at up to Mach 4. The last T-72 tank in the above story fired this style round (the third shot) which only creased the frontal tank armor! Note that only the armor on the front of an Abrams tank could take any one of the three rounds fired at the American tank. A shot from another angle would have certainly killed the American tank.
American SABOT Rounds
The American tank in the story always fired SABOT rounds, but they killed their targets. These are the shots of choice by the American tankers when shooting other tanks. American SABOT rounds are thinner (making them more effective because they strike less of the enemy armor's surface area) and contain a "dart" partially made up of depleted uranium (DU), which makes them a very effective kinetic energy weapon. These darts are so hard one story from the Gulf War tells of a SABOT round going completely through an Iraqi tank and into a second tank, killing them both. The depleted uranium creates a different effect than other SABOT rounds because the American DU rod also tends to begin to burn as it drives through the enemy tank armor. Therefore when it penetrates the armor, part of it comes out as bits of high energy burning material. Because the Russian tank types (like the T-72 in the story) carry live ammunition inside the tank turrets, it makes for a big explosion. Also because the American SABOT rounds contain depleted uranium, they kind of make a toxic mess of the enemy tank.
Six for Six
One last point to consider is that in the above tank battle only six shots were fired and all six were direct hits! Considering the excitement of the crews and the movements of the Iraqi tanks, this really highlights the accuracy and lethality of today's targeting systems. Even the Iraqi T-72 tanks never missed.
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It was raining heavily, and one M1 managed to get stuck in a mud hole and could not be extracted. With the rest of their unit moving on, the crew of the stuck tank waited for a recovery vehicle to pull them out.
Suddenly, as they were waiting, three Iraqi T-72 tanks came over a hill and charged the mud-bogged tank. One T-72 fired a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round that hit the frontal turret armor of the M1, but did no damage. At this point, the crew of the M1, though still stuck, fired a 120mm armor-piercing round at the attacking tank. The round penetrated the T-72s turret, blowing it off into the air. By this time, the second T-72 also fired a HEAT round at the M1. That also hit the front of the turret, and did no damage. The M1 immediately dispatched this T-72 with another 120mm round. After that the third and now last T-72 fired a 125mm armor-piercing round at the M1 from a range of 400 meters. This only grooved the front armor plate. Seeing that continued action did not have much of a future, the crew of the last T-72 decided to run for cover. Spying a nearby sand berm, the Iraqis darted behind it, thinking they would be safe their. Back in the M1, the crew saw through their Thermal Imaging Sight the hot plume of the T-72's engine exhaust spewing up from behind the berm. Aiming carefully the M1's crew fired a third 120mm round through the berm, into the tank, destroying it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above story copied from "Armored Cav - A Guided Tour of an Armored Cavalry Regiment" by Tom Clancy. Visit the Tom Clancy home page.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WhaleNotes on the above story
American Tank Armor
The American Abrams tank was able to survive due to the advanced and classified nature of the armor on the tank. The Abrams tank contains a reactive armor (which means that parts of it may explode back at the shell as it explodes against the armor) and also contains depleted uranium. Other countries use reactive armor, the T-72 tanks had it, but they don't have the depleted uranium. We are the only country using that technology. Depleted uranium is very very hard (and very very toxic).
HEAT Rounds
Note that the M1 tank was directly hit by two HEAT (High Explosive - Anti Tank) rounds from the Iraqi tanks. The HEAT rounds are shaped charge explosive shells designed to defeat heavy tank armor. When these HEAT rounds contact another object they explode throwing out a compressed jet of material at up to 29,500 feet per second (Mach 25!) in a small concentrated area. Note that the American tank survived two direct hits of this type with no damage. Don't try this at home.
SABOT Rounds
The other type of round that hit the American tank was referred to as an armor-piercing round. These are sometimes referred to as SABOT rounds or Long-Rod Penetrators. They are basically long thin rods, up to 2 feet long and weighing about 10 lbs. This "dart" is fin stabilized to ensure that it flies straight. The hardness of these darts is critical to their success. These rounds work using only kinetic energy and do not explode on impact. Their damage potential comes from their hitting a very small area (smaller than the HEAT rounds) with tremendous force. They can fly at up to Mach 4. The last T-72 tank in the above story fired this style round (the third shot) which only creased the frontal tank armor! Note that only the armor on the front of an Abrams tank could take any one of the three rounds fired at the American tank. A shot from another angle would have certainly killed the American tank.
American SABOT Rounds
The American tank in the story always fired SABOT rounds, but they killed their targets. These are the shots of choice by the American tankers when shooting other tanks. American SABOT rounds are thinner (making them more effective because they strike less of the enemy armor's surface area) and contain a "dart" partially made up of depleted uranium (DU), which makes them a very effective kinetic energy weapon. These darts are so hard one story from the Gulf War tells of a SABOT round going completely through an Iraqi tank and into a second tank, killing them both. The depleted uranium creates a different effect than other SABOT rounds because the American DU rod also tends to begin to burn as it drives through the enemy tank armor. Therefore when it penetrates the armor, part of it comes out as bits of high energy burning material. Because the Russian tank types (like the T-72 in the story) carry live ammunition inside the tank turrets, it makes for a big explosion. Also because the American SABOT rounds contain depleted uranium, they kind of make a toxic mess of the enemy tank.
Six for Six
One last point to consider is that in the above tank battle only six shots were fired and all six were direct hits! Considering the excitement of the crews and the movements of the Iraqi tanks, this really highlights the accuracy and lethality of today's targeting systems. Even the Iraqi T-72 tanks never missed.
), when inhaled and ingested the effects can be extremely toxic and you will be subject to significantly higher amounts of radiation. Its already been pointed out here that most of the DU in these rounds will be dispersed into microscopic pieces into the environment.
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