Development of tank shells based on depleted uranium

Scheme of the American M735 projectile in its basic configuration. The upgraded M735A1 differed only in the core material. Drawing Steelbeasts.com

The ammunition load of a number of modern main combat tanks includes armor-piercing sub-caliber projectiles with a core of depleted uranium and its alloys. Due to the special design and special material, such ammunition is capable of showing high combat characteristics and therefore is of great interest to the armies. However, only a few countries are still developing such shells.

First american

When developing the future MBT M1 Abrams, the American industry was faced with the problem of further increasing penetration. For use on the tank, a 105-mm rifled gun M68A1 was proposed, the ammunition of which no longer had a serious reserve of characteristics for the future. In the late seventies, this issue was resolved through the development of new BOPS, which were put into service in the eighties.

In 1979, the M735A1 projectile was developed and tested - a version of the M735 product with a uranium core instead of a tungsten core. Despite the advantages over the previous model, this BOPS was not accepted into service. Then the more successful M774 projectile appeared. During the eighties, 105-mm BOPS M833 and M900 with higher characteristics were adopted.

M774 product schematic. Figure Steelbeasts.com

In the course of the development of 105-mm armor-piercing shells, it was possible to obtain sufficiently high characteristics. The initial velocity has reached or exceeded 1500 m / s. Later uranium cores pierced 2-450 mm of homogeneous armor at a distance of 500 km. It was believed that this is enough to combat modern tanks of a potential enemy.

Increased caliber

The modernization project for the M1A1 tank provided for the replacement of the 105-mm cannon with a more powerful 120-mm smooth-bore gun M256. For the latter, a new generation BOPS with higher characteristics was created - M829. In the course of its development, it was decided to finally abandon the tungsten damaging element in favor of a more effective uranium one.

The M829 product received a core 627 mm long, 27 mm in diameter and weighing about 4,5 kg, complemented by an aluminum head fairing and tail assembly. The muzzle velocity was increased to 1670 m / s, which made it possible to increase the penetration to 540 mm per 2 km. The base M829 was put into service along with the M1A1 MBT.

Shot with BOPS M829. Noteworthy is the short length of the projectile. Figure Inetres.com

By the early nineties, the M829A1 projectile was created and adopted, which received a new core. The 4,6 kg uranium rod had a length of 684 mm and a diameter of 22 mm. The initial speed was reduced to 1575 m / s, but penetration exceeded 630-650 mm, and the effective range increased to 3 km.

Already in 1994, an improved version of the M829A1, the M829A2, appeared. Due to the introduction of new technologies and materials, it was possible to increase the initial speed by 100 m / s and increase the armor penetration. In addition, the mass of the shot has been reduced in general.

At the beginning of the 829s, the M3A800 BOPS appeared, designed to destroy objects with dynamic protection. This problem is solved due to the composite core, which includes the "leading" steel element and the main uranium one. The total length of the core has grown to 10 mm, weight - up to 1550 kg. With an initial velocity of 700 m/s, such a projectile is capable of penetrating at least 2 mm of armor from XNUMX km away.

M829A2 split layout. US Army Photos

To date, mass production of the latest BOPS model for the M256 gun under the designation M829A4 has been launched. A characteristic feature of this product is the maximum possible length of the core, which made it possible to increase its mass and energy performance - and hence the penetration parameters. The M829A4 is intended for use by M1A2 tanks with SEP upgrade packages.

Development results

The American industry took up the topic of tank uranium BOPS in the mid-seventies, and at the beginning of the next decade, the first production samples went to the army. In the future, the development of this direction continued and led to interesting results.

The introduction of depleted uranium allowed the US Army to solve several problems at once. First of all, it was possible to obtain an advantageous ratio of the size, mass and speed of the projectile, which had a positive effect on the combat qualities. When creating the BOPS M735A1, the increase in armor penetration was less than 10% compared to the tungsten M735, but then more successful samples appeared with a different increase in performance.

The most modern BOPS for the M256 is the M829A4. Photo Sturgeonshouse.ipbhost.com

Then the transition to 120 mm caliber began, which made it possible for a new increase in performance. The first sample of the M829 family could penetrate 540 mm - significantly more than the 105 mm predecessors. Modern modifications of the M829 have reached the level of 700-750 mm penetration.

foreign response

Soon after the United States, the topic of uranium shells for tank guns was taken up in several countries, but only in the USSR and Russia such projects were fully developed. Several such BOPSs have been put into service and new ones have been reported.

In 1982, the Soviet Army received the 125-mm 3BM-29 "Nadfil-2" projectile for the 2A46 gun. Its active part was made of steel and carried a uranium alloy core. Penetration from 2 km reached 470 mm. According to this parameter, the 3BM-29 was ahead of other domestic developments with other cores, but the advantage was not fundamental.

Shell 3BM-46 with a master device. Photo Russianarmor.info

In 1985, a monolithic uranium projectile 3BM-32 "Vant" appeared. A striking element with a length of 480 m and a mass of 4,85 g at an initial speed of 1700 m / s could penetrate 560 mm of armor. A further development of this design was the product 3BM-46 "Lead", which appeared in the early nineties. Due to the lengthening of the core to 635 mm, it was possible to increase the penetration to 650 mm.

In recent years, a new generation of tank BOPS has been developed. So, there is a new projectile 3BM-59 "Lead-1". According to various sources, from a range of 2 km, it is capable of penetrating at least 650-700 mm of armor. There is a modification of this ammunition with a tungsten core. New shots are also being developed for the advanced 2A82 gun and larger caliber systems. Some of these projects are expected to involve the use of uranium alloys.

Mixed nomenclature

Thus, the Soviet and Russian industry took into account their own and foreign experience, which resulted in the consistent creation of several BOPSs with a uranium core. Such ammunition was a good addition to the existing tungsten rounds, but could not supplant them. As a result, the ammunition load of Russian MBTs may include different shells with different characteristics.

General view of the shot 3BM-59/60. Figure Russianarms.ru

At the same time, uranium alloys fully justified themselves and made it possible to obtain a significant increase in combat characteristics in a limited time. The appearance of the first BOPS with uranium cores provided a jump from 400-430 to 470 mm penetration, and further development made it possible to reach a higher level. However, not only uranium shells are being developed. Conventional carbide designs have not yet reached their full potential.

Past and Future

The uranium core of an armor-piercing projectile has a number of important advantages over steel or tungsten counterparts. Slightly losing in density, it is harder, stronger and more effective in terms of penetrating armor. In addition, fragments of a uranium projectile tend to ignite in the armor space, which turns the ammunition into an armor-piercing incendiary.

The United States has long understood all the advantages of such BOPS, and the result of this has been a complete rejection of alternative designs and materials. In other countries, the situation is different. Thus, NATO members often have a mixed range of weapons in service: carbide shells are used at the same time, incl. own production, and uranium imported from the USA. Russia also uses different classes of BOPS, but produces them on its own.

There are no prerequisites for changing the current situation. Depleted uranium has taken its place in the field of armor-piercing projectiles and will retain it for the foreseeable future. The same goes for other materials. The reasons are simple: the core materials used have not yet reached their full potential. And the further development of tank weapons opens up new horizons for them.

Comments

[andrewkor]

Isn't the uranium core a "dirty" weapon?
If Yes, then it might be worth considering banning it at the international level, following the example of the bullets of the Dum-Dum arsenal!

[Errr]

Depleted uranium (U-238) is not a very radioactive isotope (it is weakly radioactive). Due to its high density and low decay activity, it is used to protect against hard gamma radiation and high-energy neutrons. Its high hardness allows you to use it in the booking of tanks, body armoras well as in ammunition for small arms and artillery.

[ProkletyiPirat]

Only at high temperature and pressure (after entering the BBT), it forms various compounds that, when it enters the fauna (including humans), lead to various diseases ... In this case, this uranium is dangerous not as a "radioactive" substance, but as "Chemical substance.

[Errr]

Similarly, in the case of incomplete combustion (with a negative oxygen balance) of the components of "traditional" ammunition, the composition of the explosion products changes towards a decrease in the oxidation state, primarily of carbon. In this case, instead of CO2 dioxide, CO oxide is formed, i.e. just carbon monoxide. Prohibit the most "bearded" shells?

[ProkletyiPirat]

CO is a simple molecule that is easily broken down and / or excreted from the body, it is only dangerous in extreme quantities.
But uranium, in the process of penetration, forms voluminous and complex molecules that do not split and are not removed from the body, while due to the fact that in one of the sections of a complex molecule there are organic compounds, this molecule actively interacts with body molecules, as a result, the work of cells is disrupted and DNA, which leads to oncology.
That is, one CO molecule will not kill you, but one uranium-based molecule can easily kill, for example, it will get into the fetus in the heart area, and upon reaching 21 people will die due to a micro tumor of the heart. Or you inhale the dust from such molecules, they get into the lungs, from there into the blood, from there to the brain, and there hello stroke or brain tumor ..

[aglet]

"Or you breathe in the dust from such small cells, they will get into the lungs, from there into the blood, from there into the brain, and then hello there is a stroke or a brain tumor .."
do not chalk nonsense. it looks like you, in mosk, already got it. depleted uranium, by itself, is not poisonous and is not radioactive

[Technical engineer]

Sergey is right. When uranium 238 (the same depleted, but Uranus) enters the body, it will lead to very sad consequences. And if you take it simply as an external source of radiation, then yes, it is not particularly dangerous. Therefore, the use of uranium shells, when part of it goes into dust microparticles and gaseous compounds, can really be interpreted as the use of chemical and radiation weapons.

[aglet]

"When ingested, uranium 238"
like any foreign body, or like a heavy metal, like any dust, in the end, but we are talking about tank shells - penetrating inside the tank, the uranium238 core partially turns into dust, and, possibly, can penetrate into the respiratory organs of tankers if they are up to they will not die from being hit by fragments of armor, large fragments of the same core, and the dynamic tail of ammunition that has penetrated through the armor into a confined space. The poisonous properties of uranium dust will no longer matter. Tankers simply do not have enough time to die from this, they will die earlier, in a fraction of a second, smeared on the armor

[ProkletyiPirat]

You do not understand the essence of the distribution of carcinogenic molecules based on uranium. The problem is not that "a soldier will die earlier from penetration than from oncology" as you describe it, but that these molecules remain on damaged equipment, on the battlefield (TBD) and in the theater of operations (TVD), and these particles are stable for hundreds of years and in addition they are easily tolerated by the atmosphere, flora and fauna.
For example, in the desert regions where the United States fought, the zone of increased oncology is much larger than the LDP zone, because uranium-based dust is carried by sandstorms and rivers. Moreover, the worst thing is that these molecules are transmitted through the flora. For example, in one of the documentaries on this topic, there was a case when a whole orchard of fruit trees was cut down (like it was apple trees, but not a fact), and so, these molecules were stable enough to be transmitted along the earth-apple-apples-human digestive tract chain, in There was a war in that region decades ago, and people are still suffering.
I explain once again that the combined uranium itself is practically not dangerous, even if it gets inside, and even if there are ultra-low doses of radiation from it, then this is not scary because the interaction between uranium and cell molecules will be minimal. This is precisely the problem in large uranium-based molecules, where the outer parts of this molecule partially coincide with natural "cellular" molecules, which is why they are carried by these "organic tails" throughout the body due to "attachment" to natural organic processes (for example, to the transfer process oxygen through the blood).

[aglet]

You don't understand the proliferation of uranium-based concentration-genic molecules. "
where do these cancerogenic molecules come from in the case of uranium238? and uranium has large and small molecules, interesting. and small ones are harmless, and large ones are harmful and dangerous? this is undoubtedly a new word in physics. did you come to this conclusion through experiments with uranium238, or did someone tell you about it? you live like this, and you don’t know that people around you are making revolutionary discoveries. but before applying to Nobel Committee, read a 8th grade physics textbook. there are many things you might be interested in. "For example, in the desert regions where the United States fought a zone of increased oncology"
and who then studied these regions, compared with other places? who put them on the map? Or again, personal experience and experiments?
not only radioactive substances can be carcinogenic, but any excess and unnecessary substances that enter the human body. and these apples, it seems, do not grow in deserts, but where they grow, the war was so long ago that uranium was then used only as a backlight for clocks and compasses. Do you have any facts about these terrible plants, or again, personal experience?
and orchards are often cut down to the root, and new ones are planted in their place - renewal of planting material is called

[Professor]

Quote: ProkletyiPirat

Only at high temperature and pressure (after entering the BBT), it forms various compounds that, when it enters the fauna (including humans), lead to various diseases ... In this case, this uranium is dangerous not as a "radioactive" substance, but as "Chemical substance.

Just like lead. Heavy metals however. Prohibit the shooter. There are lead bullets.

[Technical engineer]

Professor with all due respect, do not distort the facts. I understand Israel's politics. You cannot be told that uranium is harmful. But, as a person with education, they must understand.

[Sergey Gintner]

Exactly .. Everyone knows that when a lead bullet enters the body, it gets severe lead poisoning, often incurable ..))))

[Monar]

This is how to count. The depleted phonite itself is small. Alpha particles in the air then fly a few centimeters, not to mention denser media. Gamma is just a little fonite. So the stories about the general death of American tankers are from the category of tales.
The metal itself is another matter. From the category of heavy. Well, like lead. Or mercury. You will take figs out of the body. Chemical poisoning. But it is necessary to either gnaw the rod of the projectile, or breathe in vapors.
But only lead in wars was probably used by millions of tons. But no one gnawed and did not inhale to death.

[zenion]

You don't know how printers die. There, retirement for men is 55 years old with 17 years of experience and for women at 50 years of age with 15 years of experience. The fact is that earlier letters were used based on a lead alloy with zinc and another metal, I don’t remember the name, which gives the letters hardness. It is possible to live until retirement, but this will not please, as lead vapor and dust enters the body and damages the entire nervous system. Solid lead entering the body is excreted, it does not dissolve, but the dust dissolves in the stomach, settles on the walls of the stomach. It enters the bloodstream and first affects the nerves of the limbs, then the brain. A lot of young people have died. In one printing house, three people died in six months, and no one knows why.

[aglet]

what kind of horror you rasskazyvete. lead is contained in the fonts-sets, if they are not there, nothing will happen to you.

[aglet]

"lead vapors and dust enter the body"
Where will you get lead vapors from the printing house? well, dust, you can grate with a file, and then sniff it, and fumes? to melt lead until it evaporates, and then greedily breathe in its vapors?
"Solid lead entering the body is excreted, it does not dissolve, but the dust does dissolve"
that is, you still need to specifically look for soft lead to make dust? lead dust differs from lump lead only in size - both chemical and physical properties are the same

[Briz]

Do you know what a linotype is?

[aglet]

"Do you know what a linotype is?"
I know. It is widely used all over the world (or has been used), including America, Germany, France, the USSR also used it. when used correctly, it is not dangerous to humans. Do you know what ventilation and safety measures are?

[Monar]

You are confusing soft with green. It's one thing to "grind" lead for decades. A completely different projectile. Nobody touches uranium with handles.
Take any professional military man. Not "generals", but those who serve in the "field". How many pens does he equip over the years of service in stores? And inside the bullet is lead. Did many of them die from heavy metal poisoning?

[iouris]

Quote: andrewkor

it might be worth considering a ban

It's too late to think. It is worth conducting a small series of nuclear tests. First, of course, underground. But if the "partners" do not understand or pretend that they did not catch the signal, then ... New Earth is not so new.

[max702]

Manufactured in Glazov at ChMP JSC production "300"
rs: Warehouses are packed to capacity ..

[Mavrikiy]

The introduction of depleted uranium has allowed the US Army to solve several problems at once

The main one is the genocide of the Yugoslav people, FDI ......

[Professor]

Quote: Mavrikiy

The introduction of depleted uranium has allowed the US Army to solve several problems at once

The main one is the genocide of the Yugoslav people, FDI ......

Genocide? You have to learn the terminology so as not to disgrace.

[English tarantas]

Sorry, but genocide is not just about you. Although the comrade is wrong, the genocide there was staged not by the Americans, but by the local

[svp67]

In addition, fragments of a uranium projectile tend to ignite in the armor-plated space, which turns the ammunition into an armor-piercing incendiary

And also hitting the crew with radioactive particles ... through the respiratory system.
With an increase in the "reduced thickness" of armored barriers, the question of increasing the velocity properties of shells, to increase their penetrating qualities, becomes more and more urgent.

[Mavrikiy]

Quote: svp67

And also hitting the crew with radioactive particles ... through the respiratory system.

Do you think this is relevant? And how many people from the crew survive when the armor is "broken"?

[svp67]

Quote: Mavrikiy

And how many people from the crew survive when the armor is "broken"?

BOPS ... as "the card falls", maybe no one will die, and so from one to four of the crew.

[Professor]

Quote: svp67

Quote: Mavrikiy

And how many people from the crew survive when the armor is "broken"?

BOPS ... as "the card falls", maybe no one will die, and so from one to four of the crew.

It won't lie down. This is not a cumulative jet. In BOPS, an armored action leads to the death of the crew. Almost guaranteed. Learning materiel

[svp67]

Quote: professor

In BOPS, an armored action leads to the death of the crew. Almost guaranteed. Learning materiel

Learn for yourself ... How does the crew die when a BOPS hits the tank's MTO?
And how often the crew dies when the shell ricochets from the armor. Teach materiel

[Professor]

The crew dies in a terrible way. MTO and the crew are behind the same armor and the fire wall does not help. Read the tutorial. You will not write nonsense.

[svp67]

Quote: professor

MTO and the crew are behind the same armor and the fire wall does not help.

You climb into the tank and look at its device ... Your textbook was written under the "Tsar Pea", now the MTO is fenced off from the tank by an armored wall

[Professor]

This wall is called the fire wall. The name itself speaks of its purpose. What is the wall thickness?

[svp67]

Quote: professor

What is the wall thickness?

A few tens of millimeters ... it extinguishes fragments quite normally

[Professor]

Quote: svp67

Quote: professor

What is the wall thickness?

A few tens of millimeters ... it extinguishes fragments quite normally

1. There is no "several tens of mm".
3. "Extinguishes" only low-speed fragments. Its purpose is not to resist projectiles. This is a firewall.

[Monar]

Yeah. Burned the tank from the inside. The charred bodies were pulled out. And the diagnosis - inhaled uranium vapor. The liver failed.

[svp67]

Quote: Monar

And the diagnosis - inhaled uranium vapor.

Not really ... When microparticles hit and burn, they scatter and fill the volume, and if this particle emitting "A-radiation" gets inside the respiratory tract, then the death of a person is already a matter of time ...

[svp67]

Quote: Monar

Yeah. Burned the tank from the inside. The charred bodies were pulled out. And the diagnosis - inhaled uranium vapor. The liver failed.

Fine. Do you imagine a real tank? The BOPS got into the MTO area, the engine was in the trash, its systems were in the trash, the transmission was in the trash, a fire broke out, which was extinguished by the PPO system, where in this scenario do you see "charred bodies"? And they breathe not with uranium vapor, but with radioactive microparticles. It is enough for one of these, the size of an eye of a needle, to get into your nasopharynx or larynx, and all cancer is guaranteed to you.

[aglet]

"Good. Can you imagine a real tank? BOPS hit the MTO area,"
Well? where is MTO, and where is BO?

[svp67]

Quote: aglet

where is MTO, and where is BO?

Excuse me, but MTO is not a tank? And even a hit in the armor, in the area of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbBO and OS, but the projectile ricocheted, the crew would die? All at once?

[aglet]

it may die, it may not. in the MTO, usually there is no crew, and it is separated from the BO, the crew does not breathe diesel exhaust. but if the projectile ricochets, the pieces of the core will not fall behind the armor. the crew can be hit by armor spalls inside the tank. and in general, this is not about how the crew can die, but about whether uranium238 is radioactive, do not jump off the topic

[aglet]

"It is enough for one of these, the size of the eye of a needle, to get into your nasopharynx or larynx, and all cancer is guaranteed to you"
are you sure that the tanker will live to see cancer? and why does it arise? uranium 238 doesn't emit that much radiation

[Oleg Bykov]

And if the BOPS did not hit the tank (this happens), but, say, a building, a stone boulder, or what turned out to be hard enough on the way for the core to collapse? Yes, and when it hits the tank, all the particles of the destroyed core are unlikely to remain in it. Even if you google "depleted uranium health" - the information is very pessimistic

[Technical engineer]

BOPS does not contain explosives. He can easily break through the armor and the crew will remain alive. Or the mechanic will die, and the rest of the crew will not suffer. Unless he gets poisoned with radioactive compounds. Then, death will overtake them in a certain number of years. And a very difficult death. But, the Americans do not care. They like to burn people with phosphorus and not only the military.

[Professor]

Quote: Technical Engineer

BOPS does not contain explosives. He can easily break through the armor and the crew will remain alive. Or the mechanic will die, and the rest of the crew will not suffer. Unless he gets poisoned with radioactive compounds. Then, death will overtake them in a certain number of years. And a very difficult death. But, the Americans do not care. They like to burn people with phosphorus and not only the military.

Do you have examples of surviving crew members when hit by BOPS?

[svp67]

Quote: professor

Do you have examples of surviving crew members when hit by BOPS?

Enough. Fortunately or grieving, anyone else, but the BOPS is very prone to ricocheting, and even hitting the tank does not penetrate its armor, and the crew gets a shell shock, but remains alive ...
"... in the mid-1980s, at the US Army National Training Center (Fort Irvine), an incident occurred during which one M60 tank fired at the turret of a colleague's car from a distance of 100 meters. Due to the fact that the projectile passed at an angle, everything ended with a scratch on the turret, but the crew of the tank could not perform its tasks for a long time.According to the loader, at the time of the shot, it seemed that "an unknown force threw the tank up for a moment, and then hit it on something resonant."
But this is a tank with homogeneous armor, for tanks with multi-layer armor protection and lining, this damaging factor is again less

[Professor]

Well, where are the examples of surviving fighters when armor pierced by BOPS?
Where is the surviving mechanic?

[svp67]

Quote: professor

Well, where are the examples of surviving fighters when armor pierced by BOPS?
Where is the surviving mechanic?

No, you first show the DEAD in the presented case ...

[Professor]

I can imagine a division of survivors when their tank was not hit at all. However, we are talking about the lethality of BOPS when the armor is broken. I repeat, there will be no survivors. Read the book and don't be fantasized.

The driver will die.

[svp67]

Quote: professor

Read the book and don't be fantasized.

Watch the video and gain your mind ... "proHfesor"
The 30-mm BOPS hits the homogeneous armor of the M60 tank, only the one who gets in the way of the flying fragments will die ... just like in the BMP. I repeat once again that there are many conditions in the equation, people will survive or die ... but you have "obsession"

[Professor]

Do you think we are fools? 30 mm is not 125 or even 105 mm. Article about tank BOPSah. Have you read the article?

BOPS pierces the tank into the side for departure. Penetrates frontal armor, penetrates any MTO including a fire wall. There will be no survivors.

Do you have any examples of survivors? A rhetorical question.

PS
Read the book already. I feel ashamed of you.

[Mazuta]

"... pierces frontal armor, pierces any military equipment, including a fire wall ..." Always pierces?!!
And how long has the motor partition been called the buzzword firewall? In the army of which state?

[Professor]

Quote: Mazuta

"Always breaks?!

Not. From 2 km, half a meter of armor will break through easily.

Quote: Mazuta

And how long has the motor partition been called the buzzword firewall?

Since the British invented the tank.

Quote: Mazuta

In the army of which state?

Burzhuinsky.

[Mazuta]

In your temper, you demonstrate enviable stubbornness and demagoguery, which was pointed out to you, and now you are starting to fidget ...

[Professor]

Quote: Mazuta

In your temper, you demonstrate enviable stubbornness and demagoguery, which was pointed out to you, and now you are starting to fidget ...

I answered your questions without any fidgeting. Briefly and on the topic.

[Technical engineer]

Quote: professor

The driver will die.

Even in the Merkava? And if the BOPS hit the tower? Why should a mechanic water die?)))

[Professor]

Quote: Technical Engineer

Quote: professor

The driver will die.

Even in the Merkava? And if the BOPS hit the tower? Why should a mechanic water die?)))

This is his fate. Everyone will die. Especially if the BOPS is uranium.

[Sergey Gintner]

especially in the "Merkava" ..

[aglet]

"And also hitting the crew with radioactive particles ... through the respiratory system."
where will they come from? do you think, since uranium, so necessarily radiation?

[Technical engineer]

How from where? From a uranium core collapsed and heated to more than high temperatures. The Americans themselves are shouting about this. They say that uranium BOPS is good because it has a high incendiary property. Do you believe the Australians? Or do you think the stsuki are lying?

[aglet]

"How from where? From a uranium core that collapsed and heated to more than high temperatures. The Americans themselves are shouting about this."
Well, that is, if uranium-238 is heated to high temperatures (what?) will it start emitting neutron fluxes? and uranium235 becomes nafig not needed? an atomic bomb can be made by throwing a piece of uranium into the fire238? that's how it is, Mikhalych, but the men don't even know

[Arey2]

Uranium-238 is an isotope that produces weak alpha radiation.
Alpha radiation is a stream of alpha particles - pieces of atomic nuclei - in fact, these are helium-4 nuclei. Strongly ionizes everything along the way. At energies below 10 MeV (energies are higher on Earth only in accelerators), in moderate doses it is relatively safe for humans when irradiated from the outside - it does not penetrate the dead layer of the skin. But when irradiated from the inside - when radionuclides with alpha decay penetrate into the body - it is quite dangerous because it causes decent damage. The path in the atmosphere at an energy of 10 MeV is about 11 cm. Those. one meter from the source of alpha particles with such energies, one can feel safe. Affects electronics.
Just imagine the burnt particles of uranium BOPS became aerosol and got inside through the respiratory system.

[aglet]

"The path in the atmosphere at an energy of 10 MeV is about 11 cm. That is, a meter from a source of alpha particles with such energies can feel safe."
not in a meter - in 12 centimeters, this is in accelerators, in nature, where there is no external force to shift electrons in atoms, they will not run as much
"So imagine the burnt particles of uranium BOPS became an aerosol and got inside through the respiratory system."
so what? there will be no one to inhale this aerosol. and it spontaneously ignites powder uranium and at a temperature of 150 degrees people do not live at such a temperature. the uranium combines with oxygen to form uranium dioxide, which is so heavy that it precipitates immediately without forming any aerosols. But "when irradiated from the inside - when radionuclides with alpha decay penetrate into the body, it is quite dangerous because it causes decent damage."
How can they, these radionuclides, penetrate into the body if uranium238 practically does not emit them? and what dose and for how long should you get inside the body to get "decent" damage? and what damage do you think is decent?

[Arey2]

You don't have to be inside the tank. Ammunition with depleted uranium was used not only in armored vehicles. And did you go to the bath? At 150C you can survive, the US Air Force conducted experiments, people can withstand for a short time (several minutes) more than 200C.
The depleted uranium used by the US Department of Defense contains 0,3% 235U or less.
About uranium oxide aerosols.
https://translated.turbopages.org/proxy_u/en-ru.ru.b70421cb-63219c85-7f6a2595-74722d776562/https/www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024083640.htm

[Technical engineer]

Uranium dust falling into the body harms it, destroying cells .... You don't even need to warm up. Just breathe in uranium dust)

[Sergey Gintner]

For the crew of a tank whose armor was pierced by a shell, it does not matter what they breathe ... because they stop breathing ... at all ..

[Maxwrx]

I also read that this depleted uranium is a waste product and is much cheaper than tungsten. Also, the Americans make armor from depleted uranium. The radiation background during the defeat is higher, but still not enough to be considered a "dirty" weapon.

[Pavel57]

The Americans dispose of nuclear waste in this way.

[Mytholog]

Waste from the nuclear power plant - no (irradiated nuclear fuel? Are you kidding me?), But the enrichment plant - yes.

[Nikolaevich I]

Yes, garbage, these uranium shells! Do you think that the Central Committee is talking in vain about mining on the Moon and Mars? There are no fools! Osmium will be mined and "osmium" BOPS will be manufactured! (see density of osmium ...)

[Mountain shooter]

Depleted uranium is uranium 238, with a half-life of 4.5 billion years !!! Very weak radioactivity. You shouldn't be afraid of it. You can sleep with him in your arms. Debris from projectiles and oxides, dust formed as a result of the scattering of these cores when hitting the target - can be dangerous. Like almost all heavy metals in the human body.

[Mavrikiy]

You are either rare with ........ or rare VIKI - US Army Use of Depleted Uranium Munitions:

The use of depleted uranium ammunition by the US Army is the use of projectiles containing radioactive and highly toxic depleted uranium during military conflicts by the US Army. According to a number experts, environmentalists, human rights defenders and politicians, the use of depleted uranium munitions causes contamination of the area with a subsequent outbreak of cancer [1] and hereditary diseases [2]. Pentagon, NATO, US and UK authorities insist that this is impossible

Who do you work for, Dunkel? (film. seems to be On thin ice)

The United States used uranium munitions during the 1991 war against Iraq. The US Army spent about 14 tank shells containing depleted uranium. A total of 275 to 300 tons of depleted uranium were used

After the war, several thousand US and British soldiers were found to have various diseases associated with impaired liver and kidney function, and low blood pressure. Retired US Army Colonel Douglas Rocke, a professor of environmental science at Jacksonville University, discovered that uranium can cause lymphoma, mental disorders, and cause birth defects in future generations [7]. As Aleksey Yablokov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted, in the Iraqi territories contaminated with uranium in the area of ​​the city of Basra, the frequency of premature births, birth defects of newborns, leukemia and other types of cancers increased by 3-4 times. According to Yablokov, congenital disorders (lack of eyes, ears, fusion of fingers and blood vessels, etc.) were found in more than 60% of children born in families of American soldiers who fought during the conflict[8]. The US government dismissed all claims by sick military personnel, explaining that the effect of depleted uranium on the development of diseases has not been proven.

Now it's clear to whom. Wish you to sleep with him in an embrace until the end ?.

[bk0010]

the use of depleted uranium ammunition causes contamination of the area

Infection and radioactive contamination are different things.

[aglet]

"The US Army spent about 14 tank shells containing depleted uranium. A total of 275 to 300 tons of depleted uranium were used."
let's calculate - the core weighs 5 kg, 14 shells were used, or 000 kg of cores, that is, 70000 tons. where does 70 come from? or 300 tons is worse?

[aglet]

and you put a minus to arithmetic?

[Mytholog]

One more nuance: 30 thousand is by most of its 30mm for the A-10 attack aircraft. Tank - it's good if 10%.

[aglet]

"use of depleted uranium ammunition causes contamination of the area"
contamination of the area with what? depleted uranium is not radioactive, it is chemically practical neutral. what can he infect the area? by the very fact of your presence?

[Technical engineer]

I agree, or on a salary overseas, or rare fools. I also wish them to sleep with "safe" uranium. Better yet, carry it in your pants pocket. The population of the Earth will only benefit from this.))

[Mavrikiy]

Good advertising article "for uranium cores". Now, also with enthusiasm, about their influence on the crew, about the future impotence of the heroes of the shooters, the background for contamination of the area, etc. according to the list, especially since there is data on Yugoslavia.

[Mountain shooter]

Quote: Mavrikiy

the crew, about the future impotence of the heroes of the shooters, the background for the infection of the area, etc. according to the list, especially since there is data on Yugoslavia

Enough already ... you need to listen to the experts. And not "experts" and environmentalists ... These write that they order ... There are no confirmed scientific data even on an increase in mortality as a result of the Chernobyl accident. Radiophobia. Much more unborn children died, as a result of the panic of abortions in Europe, several tens of thousands were made. The danger of depleted uranium ammunition is STRONGLY and CONSCIOUSLY exaggerated. The goals are different, but always mercantile. Increased insurance for the military, receiving compensations for those living in the area ... No one has received anything of this yet, but they have given “food” to lawyers ... There is something to feed on.

[aglet]

"Moreover, there is data on Yugoslavia."
data about what, and who collected them?

[Mavrikiy]

https://zen.yandex.ru/media/vartehnologe/v-chem-problema-tankovyh-snariadov-s-obednennym-uranom-5ec40c3afc887676265f35b1

Depleted uranium shells are dangerous not only for the enemy because of the best damaging characteristics, but also for soldiers using OBPS with depleted heavy metal. The reason is not in uranium dust, but in the background radiation. It is several times weaker than that of enriched isotopes, but essential for human health. Another proof of this is the active use of shells and armor with depleted uranium in the United States, while the EU and Russia do not use shells with higher armor penetration in the troops. By the way, depleted uranium is used not only in 120 mm ammunition, but also in 25 mm projectiles for M2 and M3 Bradley, as well as assault aircraft with similar automatic gun calibers.

.

[aglet]

horror !!! we FSE will die !!!

[Operator]

In a nuclear conflict, radiation is induced in uranium 238, which affects tankers. In this connection, tungsten penetrators are promising - subject to their acceleration over 2 km / h (tungsten self-sharpening speed).

PS 125-mm "stubs" of separate loading will never reach the armor penetration of full-size 120-mm unitars.

[aglet]

"In a nuclear conflict, radiation is induced in uranium 238, which affects tankers."
any metal retains radiation, not only uranium

[Operator]

Radiation is induced (by the appearance of radioactive isotopes) by a neutron flux from a nuclear explosion - there are several orders of magnitude more radioactive isotopes in uranium than in iron or tungsten.

[aglet]

What's the difference, it's a secondary factor. if the radiation penetrated under the armor, which is so, that in another way - the tank is infected, with uranium, without uranium - it is not ready for battle. and a small quote - "Due to its high density and low decay activity, it is used to protect against hard gamma radiation and high-energy neutrons. Its high hardness allows it to be used in tank armor, bulletproof vests, as well as in ammunition for small arms and artillery."
don't read the opinions of environmentalists, human rights activists, politicians and British scientists. but read this -https: //www.kommersant.ru/doc/171173

[Operator]

Uranium 238 until then has a low decay activity until it passes into uranium 235, 236, 237 and 239, after which they begin to radiate in a childish way.

Why are you giving a link to the fact that the radioactive background of uranium 238 itself is very low?

[aglet]

"Uranium 238 has a low decay activity until it turns into uranium 235"
nuka, nuka, in more detail how uranium 238 independently turns into uranium 235 - it smells like a Nobel Prize, but not one!

[Operator]

Also, like all non-radioactive isotopes of any chemical element, by entering the nucleus of an atom of a penetrating neutron from an external source (in this case, from a nuclear explosion), followed by an increase (by capture) or a decrease (by knockout) of the number of neutrons in the nucleus.

[aglet]

"Why are you giving a reference to the fact that the radioactive background of uranium 238 itself is very low?"
Yes, because that's what we're talking about

[aglet]

"Just like all non-radioactive isotopes of any chemical element - by getting into the nucleus of an atom a penetrating neutron from an external source (in this case, from a nuclear explosion)"
in the event of an atomic explosion, any metal into which an extra neutron penetrates will become radioactive. But we are not talking about a nuclear explosion, we are considering the process of penetrating a tank armor with a projectile with a depleted uranium core, where will the extra neutron come from?

[aglet]

"Guided - by a neutron flux from a nuclear explosion"
no one is pointed anywhere, these are fables of ecologists and iksperds, and the fact that the alpha radiation of uranium238 cannot penetrate even human skin is a medical fact. "The calculation showed that, even after spending a year without getting out in a tank with uranium armor loaded with uranium ammunition, the crew will receive only a quarter of the allowable dose." - this is about abrams with uranium armor

[Operator]

Uranium isotopes 235, 236, 237 and 239 emit a full spectrum of radioactive radiation - alpha, beta, gamma and neutrons.

[aglet]

"Isotopes of uranium 235, 236, 237 and 239 phonet"
and God bless them, let them fonate. we, in general, are talking about uranium 238, and its radiation has such a meager power that it may not be taken into account. and uray238 does not emit, but absorbs radiation, therefore it is widely used where it is needed, in medicine, for example, in radiotherapy

[Technical engineer]

Do you think Chernobyl is a conspiracy? After all, uranium 238 was also used there, and not weapons-grade 235. Are they lying about harm? What do you think, for what purpose do they frighten them?

[aglet]

"After all, uranium 238 was also used there, and not weapons-grade 235. They lie about the dangers? What do you think, for what purpose do they frighten them?"
uranium 238, due to the fact that it does not have the ability to emit a stream of neutrinos, that is, to support a chain reaction, is not used anywhere as nuclear fuel. fuel at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as well as at other nuclear power plants, was uranium235

[Zaurbek]

We ignored the length of the BOPS .... and how they work with this in the Russian Federation with separate case loading.

[Normal ok]

I did not shoot from tank guns, but I remember well that the shells after firing the bops from the MT-12 very often burst into the chamber. I had to extract with the help of a "sledgehammer and some mother" (the last joke).

[Technical engineer]

Are there sleeves? In tanks, they are burning.

[Normal ok]

Unitary ammunition, brass sleeve.
PS. I have an ashtray at home from trimming the bottom of the sleeve.

[aglet]

Quote: Mavrikiy

Now it's clear to whom. Wish you to sleep with him in an embrace until the end ?.

do not read newspapers at night, and especially the opinions of politicians, human rights activists and British scientists

[Pavel57]

Quote: Mytholog

Waste from the nuclear power plant - no (irradiated nuclear fuel? Are you kidding me?), But the enrichment plant - yes.

This is not my idea. But they polluted Yugoslavia and Iraq with aircraft shells with uranium.

[Professor]

In recent years, a new generation of tank BOPS has been developed. So, there is a new projectile 3BM-59 "Lead-1". According to various sources, from a distance of 2 km, it is capable of penetrating at least 650-700 mm of armor.

Dreamers. So you can write a meter.

[Falcon5555]

A question for the experts: are these leading devices, or whatever they are called, obturators - do they somehow fly off in flight, or do they reach the target along with the projectile? I would have thought they were sliding back, but judging by these pictures, in this case, they will hit the tail and jam or damage it. If all these crap somehow fall apart in the air stream, then the debris can, again, hit the plumage and change the trajectory.

[kvs45]

A question for the experts: are these leading devices, or whatever they are called, obturators - do they somehow fly off in flight, or do they reach the target along with the projectile?

fly off to the sides thrown by the incoming air flow +

[Mazuta]

Once again, the "lead" index is 3BM48, the shot is 3VBM20 ...

[Sergei N.]

Lead-1 - projectile 3BM59 (uranium), shot 3VBM22
Lead-2 - 3BM60 and 3VBM23, respectively.
And nothing else.
Lead as such is no longer there, and Lead-2 is already being offered for export.

[Mazuta]

Re-read the article, where once again on the VO the "lead" index is misrepresented from someone's light hand ... (BM46). I wrote somewhere about "Lead-1" or "Lead-2"?!!!
And where is "nothing else" here? !!!

[Mazuta]

"as such" is how?!!!
And even if the fourth or fifth is sold under license, what ?!

[otstoy]

Rave. Nobody needs armor-piercing shells. With the enormous density of ATGMs and RPGs, tanks cannot now approach the line of contact closer than 2500 meters. Those. the distance of the tank battle increased to at least 5 km., on which any BS and BPS are rubbish. Talk about modern tank battles and tank breakthroughs is just a fairy tale for idiots.

[Bodipancher]

Somewhere there was information that during the Iraqi campaign, most of the Iraqi tanks were destroyed by the Bradley BMP using armor-piercing shells with a uranium core. Given that Bradley has a small-bore cannon, it can be assumed that uranium-core projectiles are very effective. And the problems of the Indians (oncology and everything else), as a rule, do not bother the white master.

[Technical engineer]

True, Bradley's armor penetration with these 55mm shells .... point-blank. Of course, you can knock out the PT-76 ... But the old man T-100 has 55mm ...

[Ricochet]

A question for specialists and experts: why strive to make a projectile specifically for penetrating armor, maybe it makes sense to disable as many equipment and crew as possible due to the energy from the impact (like HE shells, only with greater striking power)?

[Oleg Bykov]

I read somewhere that they tried against tanks crumpled projectiles equipped with plastic explosives with a high detonation velocity. There was stuffing inside.

[acetophenone]

The uranium core of an armor-piercing projectile has a number of important advantages over steel or tungsten counterparts. Losing a little in density ...

What, and steel - too?

[acetophenone]

Quote: acetophenon

The uranium core of an armor-piercing projectile has a number of important advantages over steel or tungsten counterparts. Losing a little in density ...

What, and steel - too?

PS I'm still surprised: tanks don't shoot at each other! Why are these half-meter penetrations? Are we all preparing for the last war?

[Sergey Polt]

Sorry, illustrations without translation ..