ESVENSSON%brage.qz.se@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (04/11/90)
From: ESVENSSON%brage.qz.se@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU >From: sagpd1!jharkins@uunet.UU.NET (Jim Harkins) > >Is depleted uranium radioactive? If so, how do they store it, both in ammo >dumps and on the A-10? If it's not radioactive then isn't it just lead? >Excuse me if these seem stupid questions, but I would like to know. > >[mod.note: DU is "mildly" radioactive, being a fairly stable uranium >isotope. Can any of you put a number to that "mildly" ? - Bill ] If I remeber correctly, the half-life of du is about 4E9 years. The ammo is treated just as any other ammo. It's not lead. Yet. But given enough time it will be. On eproblem is that uranium-dioxide is poisonus. The DU (stab-alloy is the name) armor on the M-1a(3?) will be covered with something to keep it from poisoning the crew. [mod.note: Hmmm... I wonder if the use of such a toxic round could be considered chemical warfare ? 8-) - Bill ] Richard Ducoty ..uunet!grumbly!root Capitola, Calif root@grumbly.com writes: >What happens when it is used against reactive or other modern armor? Reactive armor is not effective against KE-penetrators. >Eric S. Raymond = eric@snark.uu.net (mad mastermind of TMN-Netnews) writes (stuff about soviet tactics..) >They didn't speculate on the reasoning behind the Soviet policy, but my guess >is that it reflects 1) the higher cost of transport, and 2) Soviet need to >minimize command-and-control complexity due to the relatively poor quality >of their troops and officers. The above _might_ be a factor. What I've read points more to the fact that according to Soviet doctrine, the war shall not be fought on Soviet soil. Also, according to Soviet writing, offensiv warfare, properly executed, will always defeat defensive warfare. For offensive warfare to be effective the Soviets has recognised that the pace must be kept up, and the enemy not given the chance to respond effectively. To pull a divsion out of the line always takes time, so therefore it's better,according to the Soviets, to keep the unit attacking unil it's spent. Then the second echolon can keep up the attack. This way, the enemy is just reacting to the attackers actions, and therefore being on defensive. Erik Svensson Guided Weapons Division National Defense Research Establishment (FOA) Stockholm, Sweden