Rebirth of the 1980s: The Military Industry Empire

"What does this mean?" Old Huang's expression immediately turned serious.

"Old Huang, depleted uranium rounds have a very strong armor-piercing capability and many unique features. For example, they can burn during the armor-piercing process, accelerating the melting of the armor. However, at the same time, a large amount of dust from the burning process will enter the air. This dust is radioactive and will not only pollute the air, but also seep into the groundwater with the first heavy rain, causing water pollution," Qin Yang explained. "The air will be breathed by people, and the groundwater will be drunk by people. Places where depleted uranium rounds have been used in battle will be cursed. There will be a high probability of deformed children being born, and people who were living well will suffer from various diseases."

Old Huang's expression turned serious.

If it comes to the point where we have to fight to the last man, of course, we don't need to worry about these things. Otherwise, it would be as ridiculous as banning soldiers who are likely to sacrifice themselves on the front lines from smoking because smoking is harmful to their health. We are now at the peak of the Cold War, and the superpowers can destroy the entire Earth at any time, so who cares about nuclear radiation?

But that is only the worst-case scenario. If it is a normal border conflict, is it appropriate to use this kind of weapon?

"The Americans use depleted uranium rounds wantonly because they know that no war will break out on their own soil. They fight wars on other countries' land, fight and leave, and don't take responsibility for cleaning up the mess. What about us?"

Every war we fight is for the purpose of self-defense!

"Moreover, depleted uranium rounds have another characteristic," Qin Yang continued. "Their shelf life is short. If the technology is not mature, they will reach the end of their lifespan in ten years and become brittle like glass. Mature ones may last for twenty years, but no more than that."

The short shelf life of depleted uranium rounds is, of course, because they are radioactive and will decay. The nucleus of the atom will turn into another substance, and the original properties will slowly disappear.

"The Americans make depleted uranium rounds because they fight wars frequently. The ammunition in their stockpiles will definitely be used up in ten or twenty years. What about us? If we produce this kind of ammunition, are we going to risk polluting the environment by using it up on the training grounds when it reaches the end of its shelf life, or are we going to spend a lot of money to dispose of it? Disposing of depleted uranium rounds is much more complicated than disposing of nuclear waste, after all, it has already been made into shells."

Old Huang fell silent, and after a long time, he said, "However, depleted uranium rounds can greatly improve armor-piercing capability. Depleted uranium has the property of self-sharpening, which our existing tungsten alloy armor-piercing projectiles do not have. With your help, our 105mm gun has achieved a penetration depth of 300mm, but that's not enough. Using depleted uranium rounds can greatly improve the armor-piercing performance of our main battle tanks."

"That's right, depleted uranium rounds have this characteristic, but who said that our tungsten alloy armor-piercing projectiles cannot self-sharpen?"

The two on the left become blunter as they penetrate, the one on the right becomes sharper as it penetrates.

Old Huang was stunned for a moment: "Doesn't tungsten alloy become blunter as it penetrates armor?"

When you hammer a nail into a steel plate, the original tip will become blunt. Normal armor-piercing projectiles will also do this, only depleted uranium rounds are an exception, because during the armor-piercing process, the outer layer of its tip will continuously peel off, revealing a new tip.

This principle is in the report from Institute 52, and Old Huang can easily understand it.

"That's right, normal tungsten alloy armor-piercing projectiles will definitely become blunter as they penetrate, but if we add some special materials during the forging process of the penetrator rod, we can also make the tungsten alloy penetrator rod peel off its outer layer during the armor-piercing process, so it will naturally become sharper as it penetrates."

"125mm caliber!" Old Huang just finished speaking, then quickly changed his mind: "105mm caliber it is!"

Although the 125mm tank gun is the main tank gun equipped on third-generation tanks, it is still under development and has not been used yet. The troops are gradually replacing it with 105mm guns. The Type 59 tanks that are being modified with this gun will become the main force, and improving the armor-piercing performance of this main tank is imminent.

"What level of armor-piercing capability can you improve this tank gun to?"

Qin Yang tentatively asked: "Is 400mm enough?"

Guesthouse.

Zhang Quan and Wang Shan sat on the bed, staring blankly out the window. The armored troops were going to have a meeting to discuss, how long would it take? Would three days be enough?

Outside the window, the cicadas were chirping non-stop, making people upset.

Time passed little by little, from afternoon to night.

Bang! The door outside was suddenly pushed open, and Pan Xibao walked in quickly: "Humph, I knew something was wrong! I managed to find out!"

"What did you find out?" Zhang Quan asked with concern.

"I have been squatting near the gatehouse. Taking advantage of the change of guard, I found a chance to stuff a pack of cigarettes to the guard at the gate. He told me that not long after we left, Director Qin came!"

"Director Qin came? Director Qin is in charge of the third-generation tank project. It's normal for him to come here to report on his work, right?" Wang Shan said.

"Normal? Director Qin just came back from abroad, and his butt hasn't even warmed up yet. We just left, and he came over. It must be because of our project! He wants to make trouble for us!"

"We research ours, and they research theirs. We don't interfere with each other," Zhang Quan said.

"Director Zhang, don't be so stubborn. If I guessed correctly, under the instigation of this Qin Yang, the armored troops will definitely not consider our project anymore. Do you know anyone? Hurry up and use your connections to find out if they have discussed our depleted uranium round project."

Zhang Quan pondered for a moment: "Okay, I'll ask an old friend."

An hour later.

Zhang Quan came back with a gloomy face: "Sure enough, the armored troops did not hold a meeting to discuss our depleted uranium round project, and they don't plan to hold a meeting to discuss it in the next few days. They are going to bury our depleted uranium rounds!"

"How could this be? Didn't Leader Huang promise us?" Wang Shan couldn't believe it.

"Humph, that Qin Yang dominates the capital and must have bribed the leaders of the armored troops with sugar-coated bullets." Pan Xibao said: "Since he is unrighteous, then we will be unrighteous! We will complain to Secretary Song and accuse Qin Yang of exporting a large number of advanced technologies to the United States for his own personal gain. He is a traitor!"