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Ministry of Defence | About Defence | Depleted Uranium (DU)
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Defence

About Defence

Depleted Uranium (DU)

Depleted Uranium (DU) is a dense heavy metal, almost twice as dense as lead, which has the ability to self sharpen on impact with armour making it highly suited to use as a kinetic energy anti-armour penetrator. At present, no satisfactory alternative material exists to achieve the level of penetration needed to defeat the most modern battle tanks, although research is continuing into more effective alternatives. Therefore DU anti-armour munitions will remain part of our arsenal for the foreseeable future because we have a duty to provide our troops with the best available equipment with which to protect them and succeed in conflict.

Use of DU by UK Forces

The 120 mm anti-tank round (CHARM 3), fired by the Army’s Challenger tanks is the only DU munition currently in service with UK forces. 20mm DU rounds were used by the Royal Navy’s PHALANX Close-In Weapon System (a missile defence system) but these were phased out in mid 2005. DU is not used in any missiles or bombs that are launched from the air by UK Forces, nor will it be used in any missiles or bombs that are currently planned to enter UK Service.

The Gulf War in 1990 ? 91 was the first occasion that DU was deployed and fired operationally. MOD’s assessment is that tanks used fewer than 100 rounds against Iraqi Forces during Operation Granby in the Gulf in 1991: this equates to an expenditure of less than 1 tonne of DU. Additional rounds were fired by UK Forces during earlier work-up training in Saudi Arabia to establish the round’s Mean Point of Impact. Also during the Gulf Conflict, the Royal Navy fired some DU rounds from the Phalanx CIWS, but purely for proving purposes, and not during hostilities. In 2003, during the recent Iraq conflict, UK tanks expended 1.9 tonnes of DU ammunition and none has been fired since the official ending of the conflict.

The main trial findings of DU-based tank ammunition were conducted from land into the Solway Firth at Kirkcudbright. These were completed in September 2001. Further firings took place in February 2003 to confirm performance of the fire control and sighting system of the Challenger II tank.