Deployment of tanks, armoured vehicles and aircraft from which it will be sure that they will use depleted uranium (DU) antitank shells or munitions in case of war against Iraq - in the Persian Gulf:

Main Battle Tanks (MBTs)

Challenger 2

DU antitank shell: 120mm APFSDS L27A1 (CHARM 3)

Challenger 1

DU antitank shell: 120mm APFSDS L26 (CHARM 1)

Weight: 8,5 kg, length: 52,5 cm

APFSDS = Armour Piercing Fins Stabalized Discarding Sabot

CHARM = CHallenger ARMament

Britain's main ground fighting force will be led by 1 UK Armoured Division headquarters, deployed with one of its two brigades, 7th Armoured Brigade, the ``Desert Rats,'' with 3,400 combat troops, 120 Challenger 2 tanks and 150 Warrior armoured fighting vehicles. These are likely to be based in

Kuwait as part of the main allied armoured assault force.

Sources:

"Desert Rats ready for Gulf War 2", Liverpool.co.uk, Jan. 22, 2003

http://www.cdi.org/iraq/forces-update.cfm

http://www.army.mod.uk/armcorps/scots_dg/index.html

http://www.army.mod.uk/armcorps/scots_dg/index.html

- - - - - - - -

MBTs

M1

DU antitank shells: 105mm APFSDS-T M833 / 105mm APFSDS-T M900

M1A1 Abrams

M1A2 Abrams

DU antitank shells: 120mm APFSDS-T M829A1 / 120mm APFSDS-T M829A2 /

120mm APFSDS-T M829A3 (means experimental M829E3 is in production right now)

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles:

Cannon: M242 25mm "Bushmaster" Chain Gun, which can also be molted in helicopters.

DU munition: 25mm APFSDS-T M919 (in production since 2003)

Aircraft

A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog): 30mm API PGU-14/B

These 30mm rounds are fired with GAU-8/A Gatling gun, which can be also used in AH-64 attack helicopters, fighting vehicles and ships.

The A-10 was responsible for about 95% of the 1991 Gulf War DU contamination.

Sources:

Jane's Land Forces, 23.05.01

Jane's Defence Weekly, 08.01.01

http://www.cdi.org/iraq/forces-update.cfm

=> "Also on Feb. 17, a report indicated that 5,200 soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Carson, Co., were preparing for an imminent deployment to the Persian Gulf . The 3ACR operates roughly 300 fighting vehicles, including M3A2 Bradley fighting vehicles, M1A1 Abrams Tanks, and

80 helicopters including AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. Also deployed earlier this week were 4,200 soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division from the same base."

http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/forcesinthemideast5.cfm

"2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), is now in Kuwait, at Camp New York, including around 5,000 troops equipped with M-1A2 main battle tanks, M-2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and M-109A6 Paladin artillery pieces."

"..one full brigade plus around four to five more brigade sets of equipment. Each brigade or brigade set has about 116 M-1 Abrams tanks, 60 M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, ..".

2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment task force, with 21 Apaches, based at Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait.

6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (Apache attack helicopters).

7th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment (Apache attack, UH-60 transport, helicopters).

Incirlik Air Base near Adana (Turkey) hosts the 39th Wing and 4,000 U.S. military personnel assigned to support 50 F-15, A-10 and F-16 fighters, plus U.S. Navy EA-6 Prowler electronic warfare aircraft.

Other sources on DU:

List of DU manufacturers: http://members.tripod.com/vzajic/4thchapter.html

Challenger MBTs and antitank shells: http://www.janes.com/regional_news/europe/news/jidr/jidr010523_1_n.shtml

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/challenger2/

M1 MBTs and antitank shells:

http://www.rocket.com/lca.html

M1A1/M1A2 MBTs and antitank shells:

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/abrams/index.html

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/docs/4lastmbt.pdf

http://www.atk.com/homepage/products/

http://www.generaldynamics.com/news/press_releases/2003/February%205,%202003%20News%20Release.htm

http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2002/Army/0603639A.pdf

M2 BFV and ammunition:

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/bradley/

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/m2.htm

http://www.rocket.com/mca.html

http://www.generaldynamics.com/news/press_releases/2003/January%208,%202003%20News%20Release.htm

http://www.gd-ots.com/pressr/GD060402.html

http://www.contracts.mod.uk/cgi-bin/dc_public/newsreader.pl?action=show_detail;id=16964;market=;side=;start=

http://www.fbodaily.com/cbd/archive/2001/09(September)/24-Sep-2001/13sol002.htm

http://www.thesouthern.net/rednews/2003/01/07/build/top/TOP001.html

A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) and small caliber antitank shells (30mm):

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/a-10.htm

http://www.atk.com/homepage/products/

http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2002/Army/0603639A.pdf

More independent information on DU:

Human Costs: http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/abom/uran/index_e.html

World Information Service on Energy - Uranium Project:

http://www.antenna.nl/wise/uranium

Federation of American Scientists: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/du.htm

Campaign Against Depleted Uranium (UK):

http://www.cadu.org.uk/

US Veterans: http://www.ngwrc.org/Dulink/du_link.htm#Medical

Military Toxics Project (USA): http://www.miltoxproj.org

International Action Center (USA): http://www.iacenter.org/depleted/du.htm

Vladimir S. Zajic: http://www.members.tripod.com/vzajic/

= = = = = =

Composed by Henk van der Keur

Laka Foundation

Documentation and Research Centre on Nuclear Energy

http://www.laka.org

contact: laka@antenna.nl