US Army Places Massive DU Order

The US Army has placed a US$38 million order with the arms manufacturer Alliant Techsystems (ATK) for a new type of 120-mm DU ammunition for its main battle tank.

The follow-on contract announced by ATK extends the original contract for M829A3 tank rounds and brings the total value of the rounds ordered in 2006 up to US$77 million. Once the new pact is completed, ATK will have delivered 35,000 M829A3 rounds to the military.

ATK claims that the price is worth it because it gives the U.S. M1A1 and A2 Abrams tanks unmatched punch "designed to ensure that U.S. armoured forces maintain battlefield supremacy."

Based on a depleted-uranium penetrator, the West Virginia-produced round is billed as the most advanced armour-piercing kinetic-energy ordnance available. "Its state-of-the-art composite sabot, propellant, and penetrator technologies give it outstanding accuracy and lethality," ATK said.

The M829A3 specifications show that the 22.3-kilogram round uses 8 kilograms of solid propellent to attain a muzzle velocity of 1,555 meters per second. While the velocity is not as fast as other U.S. 120-mm rounds, the 10kg projectile is heavier than the others.

ATK are renowned for their contempt of international law and produce some of the most dangerous weapons available. Their landmines, cluster munitions and DU shells will be causing post-conflict hazards for civilians for years to come.

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