How does a depleted uranium weapon work?
The use of depleted uranium in weapons has little to do with its hint of radioactivity, and everything to do with its high density. It is one of the more dense elements and that means a shell going at a particular speed carries an awful lot of momentum. It is that momentum which is useful. Depleted uranium is nearly two-and-a-half times more dense than steel and more than one-and-a-half times more dense than lead. This means that a typical 2ft-long missile tipped with depleted uranium and weighing just under 5kg has enough momentum to break through the heavy armour of a tank. Once it has blasted through the armour, the uranium tip disintegrates. Because of the heat created, the particles of depleted uranium start burning. What does it do to the soldiers under attack? This is not pretty – the immediate effects of this weapon on a tank’s crew will almost certainly be devastating. Aside from the shards of metal flying around, there is a danger of being burned or suffocating as the oxygen
