[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Depleted Uranium Ammunition Supplied to Ukraine Is...

Approximately 4kg of Depleted Uranium per Tank Shell
US Forces Korea Also Store 1.33 Million Depleted Uranium Rounds

As the United States has decided to provide depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine, interest in the performance of the ammunition is increasing. This is the first time the U.S. is supplying depleted uranium ammunition to Ukraine.

Depleted Uranium (DU) ammunition. (Source=Wikipedia)

According to Reuters on the 6th (local time), the U.S. Department of Defense announced a security package worth up to $175 million (approximately 233.6 billion KRW) for Ukraine. This support includes depleted uranium ammunition for tanks and shells for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Depleted uranium ammunition is a type of shell made with depleted uranium, which is a byproduct generated during the enrichment process of uranium for nuclear weapons or reactors. It is made by reprocessing uranium waste used in nuclear power generation, hence called "depleted uranium ammunition," "waste uranium ammunition," or "reduced uranium ammunition," indicating the use of uranium material with reduced radioactivity. A single 120mm tank shell contains about 4 kg of depleted uranium.

Depleted uranium is the material left after extracting uranium-235 with a higher concentration for nuclear power use, and it is 1.7 times heavier in weight (specific gravity) than lead. Because of this, the same weight of bullet can be made smaller to reduce air resistance, resulting in higher bullet velocity and longer range. Additionally, its high specific gravity gives it 2.5 times greater penetration power than armor-piercing shells, making it mainly used for anti-tank purposes. It was developed in the mid-1980s in the U.S. and is known to have been first used during the Gulf War in 1991. It was also used during the Kosovo crisis in 1998, which sparked international controversy.

Some NATO member countries, including the U.S., the U.K., and France, possess depleted uranium weapons. The U.S. Forces Korea also store depleted uranium ammunition. At the Suwon Air Base, the Magnum Ammunition Depot (approximately 529,000 square meters) has 40 ammunition storage buildings, of which two buildings store 1.33 million rounds of depleted uranium ammunition. Some of these were moved to the ammunition depot at the U.S. 7th Air Force base in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, and the rest were sent to the U.S. mainland.