Re: Nuclear Weapons Material

[paul@poboy.b17c.ingr.com (Paul Robichaux)]

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> The ammo used by the A-10 chain gun uses a depleted uranium core that is
> designed to defeat Chobam and other types of reactive armor. It is also 
> used in F-14, F-15, F-16, and F-18's that are tasked with ground attack
> missions where active armor tanks are expected to be encountered. The ammo
> was specificaly developed for use in the late 70's for use against Soviet
> T-72's in a Fulda Gap scenario.

1. The DU tank & 25mm ammo used by the US military is sabot ammo,
meaning that the "bullet" is of significantly smaller diameter than
the shell itself; an adaptor, or sabot (from the French for "shoe"),
mates the projectile & the shell and falls off after the projectile
leaves its barrel.

2. Chobham, not Chobam. Chobham armor refers to a specific type of
layered armor, the precise composition and fabrication of which is
classified. It's named for the British works which first built it.
Reactive armor, such as is presently used by the Israelis and some
xUSSR units, is different; it consists of many small charges which
explode outward when hit by an incoming round.

2. Of the aircraft listed above, none can carry the 30mm round used by
the A-10. There is a 25mm round for the Bradley AFV chain gun;
presumably it can also be fired from the Apache. I don't know of a
20mm DU round. (Of course, there's also a 120mm APDS round for the M-1
tank.)

> I know of no ammo that uses anything other than brass or steel (in the 
> case of mini-guns and other motor driven guns) for the case. The reason
> that the Uranium is used is because of its high density. 

3. It is interesting to note that US Army tanks are now being equipped
with depleted uranium _armor_ precisely because its density makes a
great backstop. DU armor can pretty much shrug off most medium AT
weapons; it is quite heavy, but that's not a problem for vehicles
which already weigh as much as tanks.

- -Paul

- -- 
Paul Robichaux, KD4JZG        |  Demand that your elected reps support the
perobich@ingr.com             |  Constitution, the whole Constitution, and
Not speaking for Intergraph.  |  nothing but the Constitution.

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