SBU found a Russian Shahed wreckage showing radiation levels at 12 microsieverts per hour, linked to an R-60M depleted uranium warhead.
Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/russia-just-used-a-radioactive-drone-in-ukraine-for-the-first-time-heres-what-we-know-18991
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Uh… “The West” absolutely uses depleted uranium weapons. The US makes depleted uranium warheads for the Abrams tank, the A-10, and even the Bradley. The UK has depleted uranium rounds for the Challenger tank. This isn’t just a Russian thing.
But yes, it’s not some kind of “nuclear weapon” despite what the intentionally vague headline suggests.
Hell even the civilian 747-200 used to use depleted uranium as counterweights in its outboard ailerons to counter aerodynamic flutter. I believe El Al 1862 in the early ‘90s (I have probably seen every air crash investigation video on YouTube twice at this point) was what caused the world to take notice of that.
Here’s the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s doc about it, though they talk about the tail assembly a bit more: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ml0321/ml032180089.pdf
Yes, but do they actually use them in combat? Not to my knowledge.
Yes https://hir.harvard.edu/depleted-uranium-devastated-health-military-operations-and-environmental-injustice-in-the-middle-east/
This was over 20 years ago though. We did a lot of things different back then.
Syria 2015 https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-pentagon-confirms-it-used-depleted-uranium-syria
While it is possible DU API munitions have been used in Iran (https://www.cndsalisbury.org.uk/news_items/9279-are-us-warplanes-firing-depleted-uranium-at-iranian-targets) it is certain in my mind that the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian oil facilities and resulting toxic black rain and oil spills (https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-black-rain-pollution-d5f67db4a772775c83dfa3fd303cf25d) will cause far more dire public health damage than any DU usage.
The real DU health effects are on soldiers. But since when does the US GAF about their soldiers? suckers and losers, amirite?
Wrong. US is still using uranium.
“DU is still used to make ammunition and weapons. DU contamination from spent shells and shell fragments is a hazard at some military firing ranges.”
https://www.epa.gov/radtown/depleted-uranium
Yes, the US Military uses DU. Specifically, it’s used in both the armor and ammunition for the M1 Abrams tank. It was used extensively by US forces in the recent series of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And there was enough of an issue around veterans exposure that the VA setup a program to track known cases of soldiers exposed to it. There is also a “helpful” FAQ page from the US Military’s health system downplaying the effects of DU exposure.
Not sure they still do, but the US definitely has used them.
https://www.wise-uranium.org/dhap992.html
Absolutely, in Iraq.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7903104/
and there have been health effects on the people.