Why The M1 Abrams Uses Depleted Uranium

Despite its appearance, the M1 Abrams is actually a fairly unique main battle tank. Aside from its gas turbine engine, one of its more interesting and controversial aspects is its use of depleted uranium, both for its armor and its ammunition. The US began using depleted uranium (DU) armor on the M1A2, and has been using it ever since. There are some common misconceptions about DU, about both its effects and why it's used in the first place. DU probably won't give you cancer but it's still dangerous.
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[@Spookston]

DU is also used for a variety of commercial and military applications. Most notably, DU is used in some air to ground munitions. It's believed that this DU is responsible for a variety of birth defects and other serious medical issues in areas where the US military operates.

[@joshuarosenberg4067]

Do you think there should be more east german vehicles? If so will you do a video on it

[@clonetroop7295]

@@joshuarosenberg4067 I support this message.

[@justusbladetooth]

To also add a common, and unknown use: In commercial airlines, it's used as ballast to balance out heavy cargo.

[@npswm1314]

You havent heard a Serb talk about the effects of DU.

[@orcashamudeluxeu567]

hey just very quick tag on DU is often taken from nuclear powerplants who would refine it and would love for anyone to take it off them

[@user-fg9xn9di9k]

"Depleted uranium is still dangerous" Well even if it wasnt radioactive i still dont think a chuck of metal soaring at you shot by a tank is very safe at all

[@aedenwright1994]

Fair Point

[@CCRUEnthusist]

Its more of a problem when towns, villiages, and water supplies are littered with du particulates

[@user-fg9xn9di9k]

@@CCRUEnthusist I was making an unfunny joke but okay

[@jonisawesome69]

it is a heavy metal and is still very toxic, regardless of whether or not its radioactive.

[@averagejoe112]

With a half life of 4.5 billion years you'd essentially need to replace your whole body with it to get any sort of appreciable dose. It's basically the least radioactive thing that's still radioactive.

[@YourTechpriest]

A fun fact for you from a former M1A2 SEPv2 crewman, we don't use DU penetrators for training. Instead we use the M865 TPCSDS-T (Target Practice Cone Stabilized Discarding Sabot w/ Tracer) which is a steel projectile. This way target ranges don't need to be regularly cleaned to prevent environmental damage.

[@hanfpeter2822]

And its probably cheaper aswell.

[@official_commanderhale965]

@@hanfpeter2822 Absolutely.

[@gulliverthegullible6667]

Ah, so there is some radioactivity? DU is maybe not as clean as it is claimed to be?

[@SirHuddy]

@@gulliverthegullible6667 well when you are firing thousands of rounds in a concentrated area it’s bound to cause environmental damage...

[@gulliverthegullible6667]

@@SirHuddy there must be a reason why some countries are using the much more expensive wolfram ammunition, which has a similar effect but no radiation.

[@Bruh_1629]

“To someone who doesn’t have an unhealthy obsession with armored fighting vehicles” lmfao

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

wait? there are people not obsessed with armoured fighting vehicles?

[@troutwarrior6735]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 lol no one on this channel I imagine

[@EungsuLee]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 Flyboys, duh.

[@DrSabot-A]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 Of course, someone that has an unhealthy obsession with airborne fighting vehicles of course

[@Valivali94]

Haha yeah that hit me too. Is this like a personal attack or something?

[@CrossJComic]

People: isn't this dangerous? US: Well no but actually yes

[@divinehatred6021]

i think they can say "no" only if they take consider people as a stupid herd..

[@Backonos]

@@divinehatred6021 should only use lead much safer to drink

[@habe1717]

1:22 "[DU] is only slightly less dense than tungsten." This is a very misleading sentence. Yes, DU is less dense than tungsten. However, regular ol' tungsten is not used for ammunition. Tank ammunition is made using tungsten carbide, which has a density of about ~16g/cm^3 vs DU's ~19g/cm^3(DU ammunition isn't pure DU either though)

[@Mathosalpha]

True, though both are actually alloyed with other metals. US tungsten ammunition from the 40s through the early 70s, was tungsten carbide with a cobalt binder. USSR from the 40s through the early 80s used tungsten carbide with nickel binder. In the early 70s with the change to L52/M728 apds, the US used tungsten nickel copper alloy for a short time. But, with the development of xm578 through m735, the US was using a class 4 Tungsten nickel iron alloy, with a density of about 18,500kg/m3. M774 and M833 were both developed in the late 70s, using Uranium-titanium alloy, which was used for all US apfsds until the 90s.

[@TheAmazingCowpig]

The grim ending note can basically be summed up as "war is a dirty business that requires pragmatism to stay ahead".

[@alexandero9936]

Yeah but at the same time it gives Gaijin cooler shit to put in war thunder so who cares

[@termitreter6545]

So what, should we all just start using biological and chemical weaponry?

[@wilmerreinholdsson1181]

@@HowIsAsh no bad

[@wilmerreinholdsson1181]

@@termitreter6545 have you heard of the great and cool GENIVA CONVENTIONS btw may have missspelled it

[@jack_copperz]

@@wilmerreinholdsson1181 yeah, you did misspell it. It's actually Geneva. Nice try, tho.

[@justincase4144]

The reason the M1 Abrams uses a gas turbine engine is the service life is many times longer than a diesel engine. And it is cheaper to work on. It also makes more power than a diesel engine.

[@lonesurvivalist3147]

It's service life is longer if maintained properly a diesel is more forgiving, and both engines produce more power at different rpms anyway, turbines at low speed are absolutely horrendous for fuel consumption to power output, especially compared to a diesel. I have a feeling turbines will ultimately be the standard in the future just because there shear power output

[@FirstNameLastName-qx8ii]

@@lonesurvivalist3147 I was about to say, a diesel will always perform better fuel wise at low rpm

[@flyblu80]

I don't agree very much. otherwise trivially on cars you would find turbine engines. diesel is more efficient if a good engine. They keep the turbine for more motives because you have less problems in temperature excursions with fuels, because it is tested, because a turbine engine costs more ... the turbine has problems at low rpms

[@LameWolff]

I'm thinking the M1 turbine engine is a multi fuels which means what ever kind of fuel you have can be run in it.

[@thamiordragonheart8682]

I'm pretty sure the actual reason is just that the abrams was designed right before the compact ultra high power turbodiesels were figured out, so all the tanks that came out right after the abrams got turbodiesels because they make as much power as the turbine when your working at the scale of less than a MW or so. with some quick googling, the leapard 2 for example has twin turbochargers with intercoolers, and the engine block is liquid cooled so is can go to higher sustained power without melting the engine. and it's a 48L V12, with the same 1.1MW power output as the turbine on the abrams, while burning around half the fuel.

[@LIETUVIS10STUDIO1]

The best way to avoid contaminating land via heavy metals, such as lead, tungsten or for that matter, depleted uranium, is to avoid fighting a high intensity conflict (where such strong penetrator metals are needed) in the same area for a long period of time. The best way to do so is to win that war decisively. To do so, you often need to win battles decisvely. And if such a battle is an armored engagemnt, the best way is by maximising enemy losses while minimizing yours. The best way to do so in an Abrams, is to use depleted uranium. War is horrible and will remain horrible. The best way to make war less horrible is to make it as short as possible.

[@jose6183]

The best way to make war less horrible is to avoid it in the first place. Nowadays, the US has created plenty of enemies around the world because of this kind of twisted morality, your military pragmatism. DU is toxic for both soldiers and civilians fighting the conflict, and should not be used by an army who is supposedly agaimst governmets using chemical and mass destruction weapons.

[@lemonhead1442]

Short my ass look at Ukraine technology has made the stalemate of war even worse

[@Jarheads4Yeshua]

I disagree, if a war is too short the consequences might last forever.

[@Flyguy4500]

Hi spookston, how’s it going?

[@Spookston]

I'm alright, how are you

[@Flyguy4500]

@@Spookston doing fantastic, thanks for asking.

[@Bigma_Industries]

Wholesome 100

[@shithead_garage]

Wholesome 100 chungus reddit moment

[@Chreeeis]

@@Bigma_Industries The fact that the most normal shit will get people to call it wholesome is depressing.

[@theicelandicnationalist2.023]

Do I hear omnissiah children In the back ground? I see that you are a man of culture as well

[@YourTechpriest]

That's why I'm here.

[@theicelandicnationalist2.023]

@@YourTechpriest oh holy tech priest of the omnissiah, I thank thee for commenting on my humble post

[@YourTechpriest]

@@theicelandicnationalist2.023 May the Omnissiah bless your cogitator.

[@theicelandicnationalist2.023]

@@YourTechpriest oh thank thee o holy servant of the glorious omnissiah

[@sgt_delta5565]

engage the linkage omnissiah

[@ronemtae3468]

I was a fire control captain in Abrams that went through Kuwait in the first Gulf War and I gotta tell you this is the absolute most detailed video on Abrams I’ve ever seen

[@aati63]

I wouldn’t suggest inhaling any kind of heavy metal Useful advice

[@aati63]

@@revolverswitch 😂😂❤

[@wizfizz2183]

2:37 I think the U.S went to far. I mean, a floating tank? Why?

[@yanislahtal6253]

We now truly have a technological edge over the near peers...

[@henrycooper3431]

Isnt that a Striker with a cannon turret tho ?

[@johncee853]

@@henrycooper3431 there are different versions of the Stryker.

[@momimondiscord9575]

BT-5: exists Spookston: 'bout to end this mans whole career.

[@davidty2006]

not the dog!

[@Gongolongo]

Regarding health issues. I've heard from a lot of Abrams tankers that they've become sterile, lost hair and gotten cancer but these reports are very far and uncommon. More research should be done because there are some signs of side effects.

[@milos.pavlovic]

The effect isn't instantaneous. Cancer rates spike later, after a decade or more.

[@jyralnadreth4442]

Funny enough the Navy went the other way. The Phalanx Block 0 close in weapons system back in 1979 was able to use 20mm DU APDS. Because of its toxic nature the Navy requested to drop the use of DU so from Block 1 Phalanx 1988 onwards it uses Tungsten APDS and Phalanx can no longer fire DU at all by design

[@Ghent_Halcyon]

It would honestly make way more sense to use tungsten for anti anything with little to no armor. It would put more of a pushing force destabilizing the target on top of the fact that getting shot in the first place also already did that.

[@lesthodson2802]

"The US military doesn't care about the ecological impact..." Not their job to.

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Yeah we do, nuclear power is very green. Not to mention our conventionally powered vessels have excellent exhaust filtration (it makes them harder to detect and track).

[@cmdrblaze6487]

Not any military's job to

[@Zorro9129]

Any military that puts "wokeness" above pure efficiency is guaranteed to lose the next war.

[@lesthodson2802]

@@mikewaterfield3599 I'm quoting Spookston here, mate. My point is that it's ridiculous and absurd to complain about a *military* not being overly concerned with environmental issues. It's not their job to do so, their job is to win wars. Any positive environmentalism that comes from the military is and must always be a secondary benefit, as you've demonstrated.

[@einar8019]

@@lesthodson2802 yeah, the most a millitary should do is to have exhaust filtration in peacetime and not make a mess by dumping oil, gas, diesel and other things

[@Ajc-ni3xn]

I love this, but the “unhealthy obsession with armored fighting vehicles” part sounded a lot like a haha so quirky moment, like the war thunder version of “I’m weird I watch murder documentaries”

[@JonatasAdoM]

Depleted Uranium gets translated into Impoverished Uranium in some languages.

[@zookathecuka4396]

00:09 bros driving a BT-7 in a tank VII

[@Tienhamir100]

"DU rounds only spall" Meanwhile, US troops waterhose human remains out of tanks with the consistency of tomato sauce.

[@TheOtherFagola]

Send a video of that. Sounds like a equally interesting and horrifying thing to watch.

[@andrewmoore7022]

So pretty much like a tungsten APFSDS round

[@Tienhamir100]

@@andrewmoore7022 No, Tungsten doesn't turn entire crews to liquid. It's almost like the shell combusts or some shit. The information regarding the DU Shell is still largely classified as the weapon is still used by US Armed Forces. We know of the consistency, but apparently it's a two stage round with self sharpening properties.

[@andrewmoore7022]

@@Tienhamir100 No a tungsten penetrator will turn you into mush.

[@Tienhamir100]

@@andrewmoore7022 Alright, whatever you say, civvie.

[@RichelieuUnlimited]

Quite simply because depleted uranium is cheaper than tungsten. Properties like adiabatic sheering can be fine-tuned using alloying additives.

[@cjtoombs7473]

The self sharpening aspect only gives an advantage in long rod penetrators (I.e. APFSDS), so they have moved away from it for aircraft and other short penetrators. The back end cost of the DU such as testing and demilitarization were deemed not worth it for those rounds.

[@looinrims]

“If it gives enhanced performance, the US military will take it” Well duh, their job is to *Kill* the enemy, not kiss them!

[@sabotabby3372]

...are we the baddies?

[@nedinnis6752]

No shit, but it shouldn't be at the cost of civilian lives if they can help it. Otherwise we'd be using nukes and white phosphorus all the time.

[@nedinnis6752]

@jr41391 I just feel uncomfortable with the notion that because it kills the enemy, it's ok regardless of the effect on the surroundings. It's not coddling the enemy to focus on killing soldiers and not civilians. Thanks for the info though.

[@looinrims]

@@nedinnis6752 Unfortunately the first job is to win the war, we don’t use nukes because it’ll begin war, and is ineffective in many modern instances White phosphorus we used a lot against enemy armor in WW2, regardless, again, not as effective for modern problems like insurgencies, not to mention treaties and agreements to abstain from certain weapon systems, notably chemical weapons and other WMDs. Job one is to win the war for our people in and off the battlefield, because if not then the ecological or local effects are gonna be secondary to the bigger problem Ecological/local effects are to be noted, but are secondary, and most effects don’t annihilate local populations by more professional militaries, the physical damage to a building or land is more problematic than whatever ecological effects happen today in most combat

[@dogswoodrandom3996]

I had this idea for awhile but I never mentioned it. I'm so glad you posted it thank you.

[@stephenjacks8196]

After the U235 is removed, depleted Uranium accumulating at the AEC and considered hazardous waste. Turning this from a cost loser to cost positive is a military win. Tungsten would obviously be better but actually needs to be paid for. No US law prevents dumping hazardous wastes in other countries, let alone belligerants. Although softer, Uranium's density is higher and on impact shatters into sharper and sharper tip. Easily burns in air and fumes produced are very toxic

[@aleky98]

3:50 If you're not into heavy metal, what are we even talking about?

[@kellerweskier7214]

in the equation of Kinetic Energy (KE) munitions. mass x velocity. Mass is the multiplying or the main factor. The equation for this is something i had to get down while in R&D. mxv=mj((d1+d2)\2)=KEB+((t1-t2)\2)=KEP Mass x Velocity = MJ(Density 1 + Density2) = KEB - (Temprature1 - Temprature2) = KEP. KEP is the equivalent amount in mm of steel able to be penetrated. Lets go over the M829KEW-X a 10kg projectile with an enhanced muzzle velocity of 1740~1750m/s. with a Tungsten core and a DU shell. 10 x 1740 = 15.1380 (( 19.1 + 19.25 ) \ 2) = 290.2711 + (( 6192 - 2750 ) \ 2) = 2,011.2711 Density 1 and 2 are added us and divided from each other. ether way itd still role out a few points between each other, this equation use used as there have been known composite KE munitions that meshed a few materials together, so an equation for it was made, and its simple. Temperature 1 and 2 are usually the base material used subtracted by steel. every 100*F Steel has a warping or changing point. then divided by 2. Then its finally added into the Kinetic Energy Base or KEB to spit out the KEP of the munition. The prototype M829KEW-X would be able to penetrate up to 2,010mm of steel equivalent if it used the correct propellant. Another thing to note. this is not an actual sense of it able to penetrate a solid brick of steel equal to 2,010mm of steel. In the world of armor penetration. 'equivalent of steel' is a now an umbrella term to justify protection levels. like how Horse Power didnt really mean the power of one horse but it originally meant how many horses could be replaced instead. in this sense, ERA, slanting, supplementary, slat, DU plates, Tungsten plates, kevlar. ect.

[@extreamrules1996]

2:48 that shot looked intresting

[@dannypope1860]

It’s very easy to complain about how messy war is from the comfort of your living room. Every country wants their troops to have the BEST possible tools to keep them safe.

[@thlee3]

this was so well paced and written. thank you for the learning

[@mrminiyo4295]

0:18 I feel sorry for that guy who got uptiered on an extreme

[@mikeyangyang8816]

The two points made ( uranium is common and uranium has better penetration) are both not entirely true. (1) Uranium is common insofar the concentration of uranium in Earth's geological composition. However, for uranium to be depleted it needs to be highly processed for refining. Thus, the cost of DU is very much classified and definitely higher than Tungsten. (2) DU is better at armor penetration because its can sharpen itself. Yes and no. Uranium is reported to have better pen than Tungsten. However, the "self-sharpening" effect is better explained by simply mentioning that DU has a much much lower melting point and softer than tungsten, which makes it easier to form molten jets for armor pen. Tungsten has a melting point of something like 3400 Celsius and DU is only about 1000 Celsius; also, tungsten is way too hard and brittle for armor pen. Its easier for tungsten to shatter than melting.

[@SleepySkull1]

A few decades ago, there was a big research on DU and Tungsten and it's danger to drinkable water and health, It was found that Yes DU is dangerous but Tungsten also is, even a group found more Tungsten in their water than DU during research. With this knowledge, they went and found there was an increase in cancer and other medical issues, But later found to be RDX the main toxic material in the area, Not DU. If I remember correctly, the Chieftain talked about it in his latest episode.

[@MackieLevyn]

Damn who would’ve thought depleted uranium is cheaper than tungsten! Although it is surprising its less dense.

[@davidty2006]

I think the nuclear age helped reduce cost.

[@gunnerdavidson7287]

Remember, if the round doesn't kill them then the radiation sickness will.

[@TheMinecraftfreak668]

2:50 Your modern ammunition is no match for the Russian *LOG*

[@yukikme5041]

Considering UK is sending these rounds in Ukraine, KZbin algorithm as always, has good timing on it's recommendations.

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

The newest anti armour technology is called Ukraineum. I don't tend to play top tier. The highest BR vehicle I ever 'killed' was an M1. I did it in a Kugelblitz.

[@team3am149]

A very well put video.

[@ethanquarles9811]

0:21 Boss you killed a child……..great work that’s why you’re the best.

[@kennethng8346]

Uranium, like flint,,sparks when hitting another metal, therefore it also tends to set off fuel containers.

[@blurrr2]

That Halo 3 ODST brought me back bro :’)

[@tdimentional2048]

A round tipped with DU backed by tungsten would probably be very functional without the need for a large mass of DU. This would allow penetration without an over abundance of DU while accomplishing very similar results without the excess exposure of radiation.

[@Nicitel94]

So basically a high penetrating arrow that also inflicts poison damage.

[@michaelgautreaux3168]

The problem is when fired, DU actually picks up radioactivity. It's something to do w/ emissions from the propellant. Really weird science is involved.

[@anormalyoutubeuser2488]

"It can find its way into water, etc etc etc. Kinda grim note to leave on" Ya bet?

[@armorist_8712]

Good choice of music

[@nicolaspeigne1429]

The french OFL F2 also uses depleted uranium

[@yeetleskeet854]

Was that Dance of Cryptek in the background

[@bigiron4018]

On the comparing abundance of materials, you really need to compare the abundance in the ground it is mined at, since that’s really the driving factor of mining cost

[@DaSlotho]

ive allways wondered about this topic....n thanks to youtube randomly suggesting this vid now i know....

[@disemptyyeet4652]

To be fair, the only way that the depleted uranium would turn into the dust form is if the uranium shell penetrated the armor, or if the depleted uranium armor is penetrated, which at either point the crew of the tanks would have bigger concerns

[@Schwarzvogel1]

People who are recovering said tanks (or just investigating them for battle damage) would also have concerns about the uranium dust. As would the civilians who live in those countries and have to clean up the wrecks when the fighting is over. If DU is so benign, then why don't training rounds used in the U.S. contain any DU?

[@karaya19Kilo]

Being self sharpening and pyrophoric go hand in hand, from both of the master gunners I've talked to along with an ammunition/weapons brief they let me sit in on the idea is that in the latter parts of penetration those flakes that break off from the rod catch fire when exposed to the air in the turret. These then go on to cut open and ignite hydraulic lines disabling the tank and forcing the crew to bail.

[@BakkuIa]

I fear the C-130J's lead rudder counterbalance more than the depleted uranium elevator cb.

[@superwout]

Sooooo, besides the DU core ammo for the GAU-8, what other air-to-ground munitions use DU? Surely some kind of kinetic energy penetrator....

[@mmmamdeadbruh5345]

and the crew can eat the ammo for a whole winter

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Because highly dense materials allow for better transfer of kinetic energy. Cap it in tungsten so it doesn't deform on contact with a hardened surface and bingo! You have the secret sauce for purely kinetic armor penetration. Fire it as a fin stabilized sabot and watch the fun. The 120mm on the abrums is hardly the only place we use them. The GAU8 off the A10, even the M61A can fire the 20mm variety. You ditch copper jacketed lead for tungsten jacketed DU when you truly need to get the point across to your enemies that they need to stop existing.

[@chrissmith7669]

Think back to the height of the Cold War. It was expected everything from Fulda to Frankfurt was going to already be glowing from the short range tactical nukes. If you’re in a nuclear wasteland a bit of DU dust wasn’t going to be a big deal.

[@cryptosporidium1375]

It’s so you grow back the arm they shot off.

[@smokejaguar67]

I know one man who was in the Royal Scots that has it in his body and it makes him sick from time to time. I did know two with the DU in their bodies but there was a suicide.

[@bansheekiller]

Most metals at APFSDS velocities have phosphoric qualities.

[@hammer1349]

The challenger 2 also uses depleted uranium armour to my knowledge though there is nothing certain due to current service secrecy.

[@GMAN6811]

I enjoy licking Abrams shells because it makes me feel good and I forget about all the bad things and I have fun hallucinations

[@BHuang92]

What do you think about leftover munitions such as tungsten or depleted uranium rounds that poses as an environmental hazard?

[@CamCamJoeFungus]

The Abrams uses uranium so it can add a poison affect if the enemy isn’t fully killed.

[@nicolaspeigne1429]

One lesson to take from this, dont drink water from an armored vehicle shot by an Abrams

[@bigblue6917]

What with lead, tungsten and DU war sounds dangerous.

[@petermallia558]

So does the Challenger 2 and Russian tanks too, but the only battle tested MBT to have never been lost to enemy fire destroyed or otherwise unlike the Abrams. Challenger 2 MBT has the best Armour in the World. It's called depleted uranium because it's severe radioactivity is depleted, taking out high weapons grade U235 with higher grade being used in forming plutonium U239 leaving only the depleted uranium for use in sabot tank rounds with a tiny amount of U235 way under safety levels, of less than 0.711% meaning it is still radioactive but but to dangerous levels as I said above. Depleted uranium Depleted uranium is a dense metal produced as a by-product of enrichment of natural uranium for nuclear fuel. It is still radioactive, but at a much lower level than the starting material. It is used in armour-piercing shells and bombs, to give them more penetrating power.

[@CleveAneki]

Afaik the DU staballoy used in penetrators doesn't need to be alloyed as much compared to tungsten based heavy metal alloys which results in DU based staballoys being denser than tungsten based ones.

[@calebrumsey4838]

Man I’m really worried this uranium round is to ecologically dangerous for my 10 million dollar war machine

[@lonewanderer5515]

The British use them to in the challenger tanks and even a 20 mm version on Royal navy ships for air defence. DU rounds are a lot more common than people think.

[@EzraMerr]

DU also explodes when it makes fissile contact from a fast velocity

[@stuff9680]

DU is the by product of uranium being used in nuclear power plants once the rods are spent and no longer able to create a large reaction they get hauled away for storage or get refined into DU and since the US government has ownership over all used nuclear fuel rods and DU it makes it cheap

[@alexcrowder1673]

This is why some slingshot enthusiasts have a few tungsten bearings to shoot with. Density makes a huge difference. You can literally get handgun power out of a slingshot with a heavy enough bandset. Ive seen slingshots hit with the force of a .44 magnum. Check out georg sprave on youtube. Hes got the absolute coolest slingshot channel imaginable. Even if you dont like slingshots, youll love his creations and his energy.

[@zatrixwarrior9022]

Never thought about that when I told my recruiter that I wanted to be a tank loader in the Australian army

[@robertovazquez9789]

1- Its fking dense 2- Hey what's the cheapest way to get rid of our shit?

[@spicy5630]

I doubt that people with DU fragments inside them are doing okay, because in the french army they taught us to never take trophies from a destroyed tank hit by DU shells because first the inside would be toxic and it happened that a guy picked up a piece of DU shells in a destroyed tank and kept it in his pocket but it burned him real bad in few days

[@SheyD78]

Interesting that tungsten is denser than d.u. given how heavy uranium is I would have assumed it was the other way around. Learn something new every day.

[@253NYCWEST]

There's this TV commercial that claims their laundry detergent is excellent at removing blood stains from fabric. The joke as told - if you have a shirt covered in blood, I don't think the detergent you use is your biggest problem. Similarly, if your tank is hit, I don't think the type of warhead is your biggest problem.

[@stephenjacks8196]

DU does not come from reactors. Reprocessing costs like PUREX process is worth the $500,000/gram of U235 or Plutonium239. But have to pay $$$ to dispose of Uranium process wastes. And the U234 and U236 from reactor leftovers is 100,000 more radioactive than natural Uranium.

[@OkamiiSenpai]

Militaries: I'll fuckin do it again

[@Treblaine]

Considering a projectile from a smoothbore doesn't spin, is there a case for a "top-attack" round that is aimed to fly over the top of a tank with a shaped charge directed down like an NLAW warhead? This may be even better than a DU-APFSDS as it can destroy a tank even if it is in a full hull-down position and the 120mm gun's velocity allows a much shorter flight time than a missile.

[@GModBMXer]

"Because its easy.... And it does a lot of damage" - Back-Stabbing Guy from Dark Souls

[@bigeddiespaghetti5618]

0:19 You know a game has balancing issues when a BT-7 has to face an M1 ABRAMS

[@user-bo1ej5im9t]

*Bt-5

[@bigeddiespaghetti5618]

@@user-bo1ej5im9t it's even worse than I thought!

[@flyboymb]

Spookston: The U.S. military doesn't care if it damages the surrounding environment. Me: Do you have any idea how much paperwork is involved to dig a small hole in the ground on most military installations?

[@nonkynonk]

So when it hits the enemy tank it gives everyone inside two heads of course

[@LowPeak]

So when abrams goes through the river.... The river becomes toxic?

[@Nero-dz5gr]

They also didnt use Tungsten because the main sources of Tungsten are Russia and China which ...would be considered to be in Enemy territory and in case of war would of course instantly cut off supply.

[@sanuku535]

M1 Abrams with green cammo looks like Warhammer 40 k vechicke The one you showed with all the EQ too

[@bunuyazaneren]

Nice infos, thank you for the video :)

[@Tribalpotato]

ITs a interesting debate often shut down by one party and that is US military, there is a lot of research pointing out that DU can actually affect health of population living in the area. That was shut down for years even after whole Gulf-War syndrome scandal. Then Italian soldiers that served as peace keepers on Kosovo( region bombed by ammunition with DU) suffered leukemia and other malignant diseases. I live in Serbia, and at my collage(veterinary medicine) professors often mention how large increase of tumors were in early 2000s compared to period before NATO bombing especially in areas of South Serbia that was also bombed by DU, also a huge number of birth defects in livestock. There is also a large increase of human cancers in the large area, probably because of food water contamination, DU probably does not affect people in a short term but over time with a longer exposure to the food and water it probably multiplies to the point of causing huge problems. You can google Kosovo leukemia problem where kids for 2 decades now suffer one of highest rates of leukemia in the world. It would be very irrational to think that DU did not cause that increase since Balkan in general never had a large problem with malignant diseases...

[@michaelkarnerfors9545]

The most critical reason DU is used in armour and ordnance is actually *Isaac Newton* . Yes, _that_ Newton, with gravity and calculus and stuff. He derived a formula for *impact depth* . Once you reach sufficient velocities, where hardness and brittleness no longer matter, and the materials behave like soft putty anyway, Newton estimated that the impact depth of a projectile is... _depth = length of projectile * density of projectile / density of target_ Width does not matter. Velocity does not matter. Hardness does not matter. At sufficiently high velocities, only densities and length matters. * This is why ammunition is made of very dense materials. * This is why ammunition is made as long as possible. * This is why armour is made as dense as possible. Also, what explosive reactive armour does is to fracture the projectile so that it scatters over a wide area rather than adding to the impact depth.

[@BHARGAV_GAJJAR]

It's because DU doesn't shatter so it penetrates and also it ignites burns as it moves through target

[@paullakowski2509]

DU is used in multi layer tank armor because it boosts the over all resistance of the array by at least 20%

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

DU makes extremely fine dust, and it has basically poisoned Fallujah for the next 60,000+ years. If you're not sure, just google "Fallujah birth defects" or "Fallujah radiation". The US bombarded Fallujah at the beginning of the Gulf War as it was the last holdout of the Iraqi military. They wanted to set an example, so the M1's and A-10's pretty much leveled the place with DU. For all intents and purposes, that place is a place of pain, suffering and slow death, forever. The US military really needs to stop using it.

[@KazzArie]

I was also going to suggest this but even more broadly, people should search “Iraq depleted uranium” as well.

[@romeovictor954]

TL:DR;depleted uranium is very very dense, so it stops less dense stuff really good, and it pens less dense stuff really good.

[@guy2026]

That BT-7 got mangled

[@politicallyinaccuratetoast4757]

My dad works for AMVETS and a bunch of former tankers he gets calls from claim that they were exposed to uranium lol