Ukraine will receive depleted uranium ammunition

Along with Challenger 2 tanks, the UK will transfer to Ukraine ammunition that includes armor piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

This was announced by Annabel Goldie, the British Deputy Minister of Defense.

She confirmed the transfer of depleted uranium rounds to Ukraine, answering questions on the government website of the UK Parliament.

“Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armor-piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles,” Annabel Goldie stated.

The Challenger 2 tanks, which the UK has pledged to hand over to Ukraine, are armed with a L30 120mm rifled gun with a 55 calibers barrel length.

Although the caliber of this gun corresponds to those used by other NATO countries, it is nevertheless rifled, which makes it impossible to use other ammunition except those made specifically for it.

The ammunition of the L30 tank gun includes L23, L26, L27, L28 sub-caliber armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabots, and most modern L29A1.

The L23 armor-piercing sub-caliber round was developed in 1984 and had a tungsten alloy armor-piercing core in its design. It was withdrawn from service because of its low efficiency and is not used by the British Army.

Later-created L26, L27, L28 and L29 ammunition are equipped with an armor-piercing core made of depleted uranium. In recent years, modern L29А1 armor-piercing rounds began to enter the service of British tank troops.

Depleted uranium

By the term “depleted uranium” is meant a by-product of the release of a radioactive isotope of uranium U-235 for nuclear power and weapons. This metal, after the extraction of the active isotope becomes less radioactive in natural uranium and its ore and has 40% less radiation.

The main military application of depleted uranium is armor-piercing ammunition. The use of this metal in ammunition is associated with its properties – high weight, density and pyrophoricity. Thanks to these characteristics, the shells have a high armor-piercing effect and cause significant armor destruction.

In countries with advanced nuclear industries and large accumulations of depleted uranium, such as the United Kingdom, the United States and France, its use in the defense industry is much cheaper than the use of alternative materials, such as tungsten.