The tanks wheels ride along the moving track, just like the wheels in a car run along the road. The tank engine rotates one or more steel sprockets, which move a track made up of hundreds of metal links. Making sure that depleted uranium shells are only used against enemy tanks or armored vehicles is a prudent practice.ĭue to potential radiation exposure, there is a risk that noncombatants could develop health issues, even though the risk appears small, according to some scientific journals.ĭepleted uranium rounds do appear to give the Abrams tank an advantage in armored warfare, and they will probably become more advanced over time with more variants. Caterpillar tracks work on the same principle as a conveyer belt. The Pentagon had previously said they would refrain from using depleted uranium shells in 2015 against civilians and that it warned the truck drivers to exit their vehicles via a leaflet drop.

The A-10 Warthog also used depleted uranium rounds in its 30mm cannon in Syria twice in 2015 against ISIS civilian trucks hauling oil. A Stanford study in 2018, concluded that depleted uranium shells can have negative effects on human health with a danger of victims developing cancer of the kidneys and lungs. For example, if soldiers were around a destroyed tank that got lit up by a depleted uranium shell, they could have been exposed.

It showed that there was a small likelihood of fatal cancer and temporary kidney damage.īut again, these were tiny chances of illness for those who were exposed on the battlefield. The study said that the uranium in the shells was radioactive and chemically damaging.

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