Editing Depleted uranium (section)

===Ammunition===
Most military use of depleted uranium has been as [[30 mm]] ordnance, primarily the 30&nbsp;mm PGU-14/B armor-piercing incendiary round from the [[GAU-8 Avenger]] cannon of the [[A-10 Thunderbolt II]] used by the [[United States Air Force]]. 25&nbsp;mm DU rounds have been used in the [[M242]] gun mounted on the U.S. Army's [[M2 Bradley|Bradley Fighting Vehicle]] and the [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]]'s [[LAV-25]].

The U.S. Marine Corps uses DU in the 25&nbsp;mm PGU-20 round fired by the [[GAU-12 Equalizer]] cannon of the [[AV-8 Harrier II|AV-8B Harrier]], and also in the 20&nbsp;mm [[M197]] gun mounted on [[AH-1 Cobra]] helicopter gunships. The [[United States Navy]]'s [[Phalanx CIWS]]'s [[M61 Vulcan]] [[Gatling gun]] used 20&nbsp;mm armor-piercing penetrator rounds with discarding [[plastic]] sabots and a core made using depleted uranium, however they later changed to using [[tungsten]] penetrators.

[[File:Mark 149 Mod 2 20mm ammunition.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Mark 149 Mod 2 20mm depleted uranium ammunition for the [[Phalanx CIWS]] aboard the battleship [[USS Missouri (BB-63)|USS ''Missouri'']], November 1987.]]

Another use of depleted uranium is in [[kinetic energy penetrator]]s, [[anti-armor]] rounds such as the 120&nbsp;mm [[Sabot (firearms)|sabot rounds]] fired from the British [[Challenger 1]], [[Challenger 2]],<ref>[[Hugh McManners|McManners, Hugh]], ''Gulf War One'' Real Voices From the Front Line, Ebury Publishing, 2010, {{ISBN|9780091935986}}, p. 91.</ref> [[M1 Abrams|M1A1 and M1A2]] Abrams.<ref>{{cite web |author=Fahey, D. |url=http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium/pdf/dumyths.pdf |date=12 March 2003 |title=Science or Science Fiction? Facts, Myths and Propaganda In the Debate Over Depleted Uranium Weapons |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050601054749/http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium/pdf/dumyths.pdf |archive-date=1 June 2005 |at=Table 1 on p. 13}}</ref> Kinetic energy penetrator rounds consist of a long, relatively thin penetrator surrounded by a discarding sabot. [[Staballoy]]s are metal alloys of depleted uranium with a very small proportion of other metals, usually [[titanium]] or [[molybdenum]]. One formulation has a composition of 99.25% by mass of depleted uranium and 0.75% by mass of [[titanium]]. Staballoys are approximately 1.67 times as dense as lead and are designed for use in kinetic energy penetrator armor-piercing ammunition. The US Army uses DU in an alloy with around 3.5% titanium.

Depleted uranium is favored for the penetrator because it is self-sharpening<ref>{{Cite web |last=Franzen |first=Harald |date=5 March 2001 |title=The Science of the Silver Bullet |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-of-the-silver/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref> and [[flammable]].<ref name=peacock/> On impact with a hard target, such as an armored vehicle, the tip of the projectile will be "mushroomed",<ref>{{cite journal |author=Bo Wang ID|author2=Yongxiang Dong|author3=Guangyan Huang|title=An Investigation on the Adiabatic Shear Bands in Depleted U-0.75 wt % Ti Alloy under Dynamic Loading|journal=Metals |date=2018 |volume=8 |issue=2 |page=145 |doi=10.3390/met8020145 |doi-access=free }}</ref> while the back of the projectile is still a rigid solid, this leads to adiabatic shearing and together with the spin of the projectile results in a shedding of the mushroomed plastic phase in such a way that it forms a new sharp tip. This shedding of the mushroomed tip improves penetration properties compared to the complete dispersal that takes place with tungsten penetrators,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Faulconbridge |first=Guy |date=2023-03-24 |title=Explainer: What are depleted uranium weapons – and what are the risks? |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/what-are-depleted-uranium-weapons-what-are-risks-2023-03-23/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> therefore DU penetrators are 20% more effective than tungsten rounds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Depleted uranium tank shells: Why are they used and how do they work? |url=https://www.forces.net/ukraine/ukraine-what-are-uranium-tipped-shells-and-how-do-they-work |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Forces Network |date=28 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The impact and subsequent release of heat energy causes it to [[combustion|ignite]] when in contact with oxygen.<ref name=peacock/> When a DU penetrator reaches the interior of an armored vehicle, it catches fire, often igniting ammunition and fuel and possibly causing the vehicle to explode.<ref name=":0" /> DU is used by the U.S. Army in 120&nbsp;mm or 105&nbsp;mm cannons employed on the [[M1 Abrams]] [[tank]].

The DU content in various ammunition is 180&nbsp;g in 20&nbsp;mm projectiles, 200&nbsp;g in 25&nbsp;mm ones, 280&nbsp;g in 30&nbsp;mm, 3.5&nbsp;kg in 105&nbsp;mm, and 4.5&nbsp;kg in 120&nbsp;mm penetrators. DU was used during the mid-1990s in the U.S. to make [[hand grenade]]s, and [[land mine]]s, but those applications have been discontinued, according to [[Alliant Techsystems]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} The US Navy used DU in its 20&nbsp;mm [[Phalanx CIWS]] guns, but switched in the late 1990s to armor-piercing tungsten.

Only the US and the UK have acknowledged using DU weapons.{{As of?|date=March 2023}}<ref>McDonald, Avril; Kleffner, Jann K. and Toebes, Brigit eds. (2003) ''The International Legality of the Use of Depleted Uranium Weapons: A Precautionary Approach''. TMC Asser Press.</ref> The Soviet Union and Russia have used DU weaponry since the 3BM-32 Vant, designed for the [[125 mm smoothbore ammunition|125 mm]] tank cannons.<ref name="TNA">{{Cite web | first=Michael | last=Peck | title=Russia Is Arming Its Tanks with a Controversial New 'Bullet' | work=[[The National Interest]] | url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia-arming-its-tanks-controversial-new-bullet-39682 | date=24 December 2018 | access-date=22 March 2023}}</ref> In 2018, [[TASS]] reported that Russia was arming some of its [[T-80]] models with 3BM60 Svinets-2 DU rounds.<ref name="TNA"/> 782,414 DU rounds were fired during the 1991 war in Iraq, mostly by US forces.<ref name="Guardian-20140619">{{cite news |last=Edwards |first=Rob |date=19 June 2014 |title=US fired depleted uranium at civilian areas in 2003 Iraq war, report finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/19/us-depleted-uranium-weapons-civilian-areas-iraq |work=The Guardian |location=London, England}}</ref> In a three-week period of conflict in Iraq during 2003, it was estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of depleted uranium munitions were used.<ref name="gaurdian2003">{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Brown |date=25 April 2003 |title=Gulf troops face tests for cancer |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/apr/25/internationaleducationnews.armstrade |access-date=29 August 2013}}</ref> More than 300,000 DU rounds were fired during the 2003 war, the vast majority by US troops.<ref name=Guardian-20140619/> The [[International Atomic Energy Agency]] (IAEA) estimates that between 170 and 1,700 tonnes of depleted uranium was dropped in Iraq by the US military since 2003, whereas the UK reported firing 1.9 tonnes of depleted uranium weapons in Iraq<ref>{{cite journal |author=Surdyk |first1=Shelby |last2=Itani |first2=Moustapha |year=2021 |title=Weaponised uranium and adverse health outcomes in Iraq: a systematic review |journal=[[BMJ Global Health]] |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=e004166 |doi=10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004166 |pmc=7903104 |pmid=33619039}}</ref>

In March 2023, the UK government confirmed it was sending DU rounds to Ukraine along with its [[Challenger 2]] tanks with its 120mm ammunition during the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/m1a1-abrams-variant-will-be-given-to-ukraine-to-expedite-tank-deliveries |title= M1A1 Abrams Variant Will Be Given To Ukraine To Expedite Tank Deliveries |date= 21 March 2023 |publisher= The Drive |access-date= 21 March 2023 |archive-date= 30 March 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230330125933/https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/m1a1-abrams-variant-will-be-given-to-ukraine-to-expedite-tank-deliveries |url-status= dead }}</ref>