Nice one uncle Sam

[act2617]

Depleted uranium results from the enriching of natural uranium for use in nuclear reactors. Natural uranium is a slightly radioactive metal that is present in most rocks and soils as well as in many rivers and sea water. Natural uranium consists primarily of a mixture of two isotopes (forms) of uranium, Uranium-235 (U235) and Uranium-238 (U238), in the proportion of about 0.7 and 99.3 percent, respectively. Nuclear reactors require U235 to produce energy, therefore, the natural uranium has to be enriched to obtain the isotope U235 by removing a large part of the U238. Uranium-238 becomes DU, which is 0.7 times as radioactive as natural uranium. . Since DU has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, there is very little decay of those DU materials. When manufactured as 30mm rounds, each DU projectile contains approximately 4,650 grains [0.66 pounds (lbs)] of extruded DU, alloyed with 0.75 weight percent titanium. The projectile is encased in a 0.8 mm-thick aluminum shell as the final DU round.
During Operation DESERT STORM the Air Force fired 30mm Armor Piercing Incendiary (API) munitions using a depleted uranium [DU] penetrator slug from the GAU-8 Gatling gun mounted on the A-10 Aircraft. The 148 A-10s that deployed to Saudi Arabia flew 8,077 combat sorties. The Air Force fired a total of 783,514 rounds of 30mm API in the Gulf War. Since each round contains approximately 0.66 pounds of DU, the Air Force expended a total of 259 tons of DU in the Gulf. The armor-piercing capability of the DU projectiles fired from A/OA-10s proved exceptionally effective in countering threats from the Iraqi tanks so that a successful ground offensive could then be achieved.


At times 30mm DU rounds misfire in the A-10?s GAU-8 cannon. These "hangfires" have to be cleared and removed from the gun barrel, potentially exposing ground crews to airborne DU. Technical data available to maitenance crews does not provide an accurate means for determining the status of rounds in an unsafe/jammed gun, and revisions are in progress.

[Psycho Chicken]

Wait I don't see your point?

It's not nice to hurt people in a war?


And hangfires in a GAU-8 don't need to be cleared at all. An unfired round will eject like an empty shell.

[Casper]

Originally Posted by Psycho Chicken

Wait I don't see your point?

It's not nice to hurt people in a war?

ok, so we should tell them to use "nurf" guns? :

[Polyal]

And.........

useless post I know...but seriously............

[flappist]

Wars are dangerous m'kay.......

[Sourbastard]

Originally Posted by Casper

ok, so we should tell them to use "nurf" guns? :

weapons of spongey destruction

[4.9 EF Futura]

Australian cars and trucks dumped something like 65 million tonnes of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere during 2002... monsters...

[Gunns]

"War its fantastic!"

[fiery]

All you all trying to imply you actually read that whole first post?
Seriously?????????

[Mack 6]

Field Artillery in both the gulf wars used depleted uranium shells at well.

A lot the the cases of Gulf War syndorme have been linked (I use that term loosley) to the exposure of troops to depleted uranium.Not just st the firing points, but also at the impact sites of ammunition.

Did you know that it is against the Geneva convention to have a rusty bayonet becasue if you stab someone and they don't die, they could get an infection and suffer more than if you had stabbed them again and they had died.

Give me the good old days of Hueys, Ride of the Valkyries, and surfing while under attack.

[4.9 EF Futura]

Originally Posted by Mack 6

Give me the good old days of Hueys, Ride of the Valkyries, and surfing while under attack.

Dont you think it's a little risky for R&R sir?

[Sourbastard]

Originally Posted by Mack 6

Give me the good old days of Hueys, Ride of the Valkyries, and surfing while under attack.

You love the smell of napalm in the morning, and the taste of BBQ wombat in the evening.

[Gunns]

Did you know that it is against the Geneva convention to have hollow tip rounds, so instead of passing stright through someone it just gets stuck in. But bubble tipped rounds fine to use

[flappist]

Originally Posted by fiery

All you all trying to imply you actually read that whole first post?
Seriously?????????

Kerri, it is a WAR ZONE. Workplace, health & safety officers are a bit thin on the ground. Yes DU is bad for you but not as bad for you as being shot because you did not stop the other guys first.

There are many many instances of soldiers being exposed to bad things in history. Remember agent orange?

This doesn't mean it is right to expose soldiers to bad things it is just that in war there are no silver medals.......

[fiery]

yeah ok...... Tony I have gone back since your post (yes you made me feel quite guilty for not doing so in the first place)
I thank you for that :

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Gunns

Did you know that it is against the Geneva convention to have hollow tip rounds, so instead of passing stright through someone it just gets stuck in. But bubble tipped rounds fine to use

Actually it was the Hague convention of 1874 http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/hague2.html , the Geneva convention of 1949 was mostly about treatment of prisoners of war.

[Gunns]

Originally Posted by flappist

Actually it was the Hague convention of 1874 http://www.mtsu.edu/~baustin/hague2.html , the Geneva convention of 1949 was mostly about treatment of prisoners of war.

Well there you go. I learn something new everyday

[flappist]

Apocalypse Now was not a documentary?

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Gunns

Well there you go. I learn something new everyday

I only know this beacuse I said exactly the same thing once and had a nice Major explain it to me..........

[Des]

The effects of DU have been common knowledge in certain circles for a long time, not just for combatants, but also for the residents. The UN has had investigations into it's use, though even if they ban it, the US will still use it as it the most effective anti-amour round available. Banning chemical agents hasn't stopped the US from having some of the largest plants around. Though the US only use them for research and development of cures, and the Japs use whale meat for scientific purposes. :evil_laug

[Mack 6]

Originally Posted by flappist

I only know this beacuse I said exactly the same thing once and had a nice Major explain it to me..........

There are no such things as nice Majors, just ones who haven't realised that you are a Non-Commissioned Officer yet.(and you haven't saluted or even called them sir yet LOL)

[Psycho Chicken]

Originally Posted by flappist

There are many many instances of soldiers being exposed to bad things in history. Remember agent orange?

Not to mention all the nasty stuff the Iraqis had been using in the decade before Gulf War mk 1.

There's a lot of people claiming DU is responsible for Gulf War Syndrome, though it really could be anything from oil field fires to the "Anthrax Vaccine" they were giving out.

Originally Posted by flappist

Apocalypse Now was not a documentary?

Charlie don't surf!

[Mack 6]

Originally Posted by Psycho Chicken

There's a lot of people claiming DU is responsible for Gulf War Syndrome, though it really could be anything from oil field fires to the "Anthrax Vaccine" they were giving out.

Or the "Kane Madenss" anthrax vaccine for any of those people that have seen "Evolution" with david duchovney.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is another problem. I've seen evidence of it from fellas in vietnam, but it can be anything that sets it off, and knowing that you might never have kids again because you drove a truck full of ammo which had DU is one of them.

It's very touchy feely now tho. I had to fill in an incident report because I worked in a building and now they have found asbestos in it. I also used to drive a vehicle that they have now deemed to be too loud in the cab above 80kmh. I now fill in an incident report incase I lose my hearing in the future.

[gozza]

Originally Posted by Gunns

Did you know that it is against the Geneva convention to have hollow tip rounds, so instead of passing stright through someone it just gets stuck in. But bubble tipped rounds fine to use

the purpose of the 303 was to injure the enemy but not kill them......hence going stright thru and leaving a clean wound.... instead of 1 person taken out of action......... this living but useless soldier would have to be carried by at least 2 more soldiers thus rendering them inactive

[BA_Turbs]

Originally Posted by Gunns

Did you know that it is against the Geneva convention to have hollow tip rounds, so instead of passing stright through someone it just gets stuck in. But bubble tipped rounds fine to use

Don't Victoria Police use hollow point rounds?

Someone better tell the Swiss about this.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by BA_Turbs

Don't Victoria Police use hollow point rounds?

Someone better tell the Swiss about this.

Not ALL of Victoria is a war zone, just some of the suburbs of Melbourne :

[Gunns]

Don't Victoria Police use hollow point rounds?

They are a .38 solid round.

the purpose of the 303 was to injure the enemy but not kill them......hence going stright thru and leaving a clean wound.... instead of 1 person taken out of action......... this living but useless soldier would have to be carried by at least 2 more soldiers thus rendering them inactive

Where did I say anything about a 303?
The point is a solid round is less humain than a hollow point.

If it was me, I would want a round the goes through kevlar and body armor rather than getting stuck in it!

[flappist]

Before this goes too bezerk. The Hague convention was in 1874. Cartridge rifles still used black powder and high velocity weapons did not exist nor did much in the way of medical help for gunshot wounds.

The actual wording is:

The right of belligerents to adopt means of injuring the enemy is not
unlimited.

Article 23

Besides the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially
prohibited:--

(a.) To employ poison or poisoned arms;

(b.) To kill or wound treacherously individuals belonging to the hostile
nation or army;

(c.) To kill or wound an enemy who, having laid down arms, or having no
longer means of defence, has surrendered at discretion;

(d.) to declare that no quarter will be given;

(e.) To employ arms, projectiles, or material of a nature to cause
superfluous injury;

(f.) To make improper use of a flag of truce, the national flag, or
military ensigns and the enemy's uniform, as well as the distinctive badges
of the Geneva Convention;

(g.) To destroy or seize the enemy's property, unless such destruction or
seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war.

It applies to war not peace and technology has changed a lot since then.

This is a very morbid subject and this is probably not the right place for it....

[gozza]

Originally Posted by Gunns

They are a .38 solid round.



Where did I say anything about a 303?
The point is a solid round is less humain than a hollow point.

If it was me, I would want a round the goes through kevlar and body armor rather than getting stuck in it!

i never said you said anything about the 303

your post brought up the thought

[Mack 6]

Google is your friend hey flappist.

The old rounds are where full metal jacket comes from. Jacketed rounds that pass straight through the shootee.

Because a hollow point will enter, mushroom out and bounce around a bit doing severely buggered up stuff to your insides, it's considered to be too inhumane.

As Flappist wsays, these are armed conflict rules of engagment, not necessarily applicable to everyday shootings in the melbourne and sydney CBD's