Missileer said:DU is no more dangerous than any other heavy metal.
Source:
http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/q746.html
Missileer said:I have a piece of DU on my desk that was cut from a spike from a LOSAT missile test.
hicks said:Missileer said:I have a piece of DU on my desk that was cut from a spike from a LOSAT missile test.
The LOSAT Missile does not contain any DU. We have been testing the weapon system for 4 years and it has never been mentioned in any of the crewman courses.
You may be thinking of the penetrator rod, which is not made up of DU.
Missileer said:In 1999, the concept round used DU, DU with Titanium, and Tungsten. As with most armor penetrators, the rod is sometimes referred to a "mystery metal". I don't know or want to question what is being used now.
hicks said:The Apaches used them in Desert Storm.
It's just too dangerous to use them in every type of weapon. The bullet itself isn't what does the most damage to an indivdual, it's breathing in the powder that is created after impact.
jackehammond said:The Apache did not use any DU munitions (the A-10A Warthawg did). The AP round for the Apache's 30mm cannon (ie totally different medium velocity round than from the 30mm high velocity round of the A-10A) is a HEAT round that uses some kind of technology (trumpet cone liner maybe) to offset the spinning which degrades the penetration effect of shape charges (ie HEAT).
DU is super heavy. And as soon as any so called powder is formed it sink right into the ground. Also when it impacts a target the powder is contained inside the vehicle. It is hard to breath in as it is not in a powder form that floats in the air like most people think of powder.
hicks said:jackehammond said:The Apache did not use any DU munitions (the A-10A Warthawg did). The AP round for the Apache's 30mm cannon (ie totally different medium velocity round than from the 30mm high velocity round of the A-10A) is a HEAT round that uses some kind of technology (trumpet cone liner maybe) to offset the spinning which degrades the penetration effect of shape charges (ie HEAT).
DU is super heavy. And as soon as any so called powder is formed it sink right into the ground. Also when it impacts a target the powder is contained inside the vehicle. It is hard to breath in as it is not in a powder form that floats in the air like most people think of powder.
This is not true. I have been through the Army's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfar school and unless their information is not accurate, the Apaches did us DU rounds.
Apache's used it all over the place, and they even showed up a map of everywhere DU was used. Contained in the presentation were pictures of vehicles which had been destroyed by DU rounds from the Apache. The white powder is heavy, but does not sink into the ground by itself. It is impposible to sink through another object, thus making it impossible to sink through sand particles and roads unless overturned by another force.
The DU powder is also not contained inside the vehicle alone. The force of the explosion pushes the powder into the air, and when it settles, you have the powder on and around the target.
The largest problem was people handling the vehicles and targets after DU rounds were used and then not washing their hands properly. Thus, they ingested the powder.
A HEAT round is simply a High Explosive Anti-tank round.
hicks said:It's a shame to see the program go away.
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