US Agrees to Send Controversial , Uranium Tank Rounds to Ukraine.
Fox News reports that the United States
has agreed to send depleted uranium
anti-tank rounds to support Ukraine. .
The news coms after the United Kingdom agreed
to send the controversial munitions to aid Kyiv's
counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces.
Fox News reports that the 120 mm rounds are
munitions for the 31 MIAI Abrams tanks the
U.S. has pledged to deliver to Ukraine this fall. .
The armor-piercing rounds were
first developed by the U.S. amid the
Cold War to counter Soviet tanks.
The depleted uranium used in the rounds
is a byproduct of the uranium enrichment
process necessary for creating nuclear weapons. .
According to RAND nuclear expert and policy researcher
Edward Geist, while the rounds retain some radioactive
properties, they cannot generate a nuclear reaction.
Depleted uranium is extremely dense,
which adds to its potency as a projectile. .
It’s so dense and it’s got so much
momentum that it just keeps going
through the armor — and it heats it
up so much that it catches on fire, Edward Geist, RAND nuclear expert and policy researcher, via Fox News .
In March, the U.K.'s announcement
that it would send depleted uranium rounds
was met with a Russian warning that doing so
would open the door to further escalation.
Fox News reports that Russian President
Vladimir Putin has already suggested that the war could
be escalated to the deployment of nuclear weapons.
Fox News reports that Russian President
Vladimir Putin has already suggested that the war could
be escalated to the deployment of nuclear weapons