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Natural uranium contains about 0.72% 235 U. Depleted uranium has lower mass fractions—up to three times less—of 235 U and 234 U than natural uranium. Since 238 U has a much longer half-life than the lighter isotopes, DU is about 40% less radioactive than natural uranium.
The depleted uranium alloy of the M1 has been described as "arranged in a type of armour matrix" [20] and a single module as a "stainless-steel shell surrounding a layer (probably an inch or two thick) of depleted uranium, woven into a wire-mesh blanket". [21] Such modules are also used by tanks not equipped with Chobham armour.
Natural uranium is made weapons-grade through isotopic enrichment. Initially only about 0.7% of it is fissile U-235, with the rest being almost entirely uranium-238 (U-238). They are separated by their differing masses. Highly enriched uranium is considered weapons-grade when it has been enriched to about 90% U-235. [citation needed]
When fired, depleted uranium becomes ‘essentially an exotic metal dart fired at extraordinarily high speed’
The M829A4 is a fifth-generation APFSDS-T cartridge using a depleted-uranium penetrator with a three-petal composite sabot; the penetrator includes a low-drag fin with a tracer and a windshield and tip assembly. [11] Its propellant maintains consistent muzzle velocities across operational temperatures from −25 to 145 °F (−32 to 63 °C).
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M1 Abrams Block III Tank Test Bed (M1 TTB) was a prototype built in 1983 as part of TACOM's Abrams Block III program (whose purview was to eventually create the M1A3), featuring an unmanned turret with a 44-caliber 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun, three crew members sitting side by side inside an armored capsule at the front of the hull and a suite ...