transcript: We humans aer capable of some pretty horrific
things. Over the years we've created weapons design to kill, main and generally cause unpleasantness
to people around the world. So we thought we'd take a look at some of the ones that
are still being used today, and just how easy it will be to rid the battlefield of some
of the most horrific things that humanity has put together. So without further ado, number five, is heat
rounds. Now, they're at number five because they aren't really that dangerous to civilians,
but they are unpleasant nonetheless. You'd think you're pretty safe sat in a tank
- a big old metal box with several inches of steel surrounding you. And you were, until
late ww2. That's when HEAT rounds came in, and turned your tank from a nice snug steel
shell into a fiery metal coffin waiting to happen. Despite the name, High Energy anti-tank
rounds have nothing to do with actual heat. They're all about pressure. They work by having,
amazingly, an empty cone, usually of something like copper, and diamond shaped at the front.
Behind that is an explosive. When the Shell hits a tank, the explosive charge is set off
before it hits, creating a massive pressure wave inside the copper shell, which is forced
through the tanks armour as a stream of particles travelling at 25 times the speed of sound.
When it enters the tank the huge pressure wave and scabs of molten metal left from its
journey through leave little chance of escape for the poor crew inside. As armour on tanks
has improved to counter the threat, so has the technology of the shells, the most modern
now have three stages of blast that ignite split seconds apart, just to make *absolutely*
sure. *** Depleted Uranium - Depleted Uranium is a by-product
of nuclear enrichment, a form of uranium that has less fissile materials than natural uranium.
But whilst it's not all that radioactive, it IS very, very dense and just lying around,
making it ideal for armour piercing bullets and tank shells. So why is it so horrible? Well, it's what
it does when it hits its target. When the shell hits the tank, it fractures into several
razor sharp chunks and a fine powder so hot that it burns on contact with air. So when
it gets through the tank hull and into the tank, it sprays razor sharp shards of metal
around and a huge fireball, making life very unpleasant for the people inside, and quite
possibly making the tank itself explode. And when it does all that powder flies into
the atmosphere and settles on the ground, where it eventually gets ingested. The health
risks are disputed by some studies, especially supposed cancer causing properties - but when
ingested it can have horrible effects. Hospitals in parts of the Balkans and Iraq have reported
massive increases - in Basra and Fallujah in Iraq, the infant mortality rate due to
genetic malformation and childhood lukemia is a staggering 13.6%. Although depleted uranium shells are still
in widescale use, the UN has recommended that they could potentially fall under the title
of chemical weapons, which would make their use illegal. ***
White Phospherous. On the surface, white phospherous is just fine and dandy. It's a chemical compound
fired out of artillery shelld and grenades used to create smoke to hide tanks and troops
and used as a marker to illuminate targets. Nothing quite so dangerous there - it may
even directly save some lives. Oh, except when it actually hits something. Because then
it becomes a bubbling, roiling substance that sticks to everything and can melt flesh down
to the bone. And once it's done that, the chemical gets into the blood stream and can
cause multiple, massive organ failures. If it hits a tank or is thrown into a bunker,
the rapidly burning chemical uses up all the oxygen in the vicinity whilst spreading noxious
fumes, suffocating those inside. It's also really difficult to put out. It's
use as a weapon is *partially* banned - you're not allowed to fire it in the hopes of using
its chemical properties to kill people. Although in a rather sick twist you *can* use its heat-based
melty properties to kill. Far more humane. America admitted to using the stuff in Afghanistan
and in Fallujah in 2004, Israel against Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza in 2008. It's legal status? Well as long as it's only
used against soldiers in open ground, it's more or less fine. *** Cluster bombs - What's worse than a bomb?
Several thousand tiny ones, that's what. Especially when half of them don't go off either by accident
or because they're waiting for some unfortunate soldier - or just as often civilians - to
step on them or pick them up. Cluster bombs are tiny explosive devices carried in one
giant 'bomb holder', either a large single bomb or an artillery shell. At a set distance
above the ground, the shell disintegrates, spreading anywhere from a few dozen to thousands
of bomblets over a wide area of ground. These bomblets aren't designed to destroy buildings,
but to hit infantry, roads or airfield runways, or to lay minefields. To take out soft targets
in a way that will keep them from being repaired. The problem with that is that the bombs can
simply sit around. Either some don't explode for whatever reason, or they aren't meant
to explode - left as minefields ahead of approaching troops. They can lie for decades, just waiting
for someone to step on one. Add to that the, by nature, indiscriminate nature of the attacks,
and collateral damage is almost a certainty. And the remains of the weapons are everywhere
- In Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, Chechnya, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
After the admitted use of 1,500 cluster weapons on Baghdad, including in residential areas,
in 2003, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the joint cheifs of staff, declared that 'one
one civilian casualty' had been recorded. This is what cluster bombs look like. The
plinking is unexploded ones. Unsurprisingly, there are records suggesting far, far more
were killed and injured, and tens of thousands of bomblets remain unexploded. A 2008 convention
banning cluster munitions was signed by 83 countries. The US and Russia were not among
them. ***
MIRV's. Nuclear missiles are the most terrifying things we've ever built. More scary even than
Beliebers. So what would happen if you crossed a nuclear missile, with a cluster bomb. You'd
end up with a MIRV, or A multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle. The premise is
simple and totally bastardic. Why have one missile for one target when you can destroy
multiple cities with one missile. The idea is simple - the missile takes off, flies to
the edge of space, and then splits open, dropping several remotely guided bombs back to the
ground. These smaller bombs are, combined with radar confusing flares, harder to shoot
down and because you're not putting all your nuclear eggs in one basket, far more destructive
when they hit. Think they'd have been scrapped by now? Nah. The US minuteman missile carries
three nuclear bombs, and the trident system used by the US and UK carries 12 per missile.
That's one missile with the potential to single handedly wipe out London, Berlin, Mardid,
Rome, Paris, Bucharest, Vienna, Budapest, Hamburg, Warsaw, Barcelona and Munich. Which
is pretty flipping evil.
auto_transcript: we humans are capable of some pretty horrific things over the years we
created weapons designed to kill maim and generally caused unpleasantness
to people around the world so we thought we'd take
a look at some of the ones that are still being used today just how easy it will be to battlefield up some of the most horrific things that
humanity has put together so without further ado number five his grounds now there at number five because they aren't really particularly
dangerous civilians they are has nonetheless see you think you pretty safe sex tank it's a big old
boxer metal with several inches still surround total sites until the
Second World War you work but then grounds came in 10 tax when I snuck steel shell into a
fiery metal coffin waiting to happen despite the name that you got nothing to
do with heat its cool high-energy I'm 10 crown
they're actually all about pressure they work by having
amazingly Toby empty warhead usually something like
copper in a diamond-shaped behind maps is a small explosive when
the shell hit a tank explosive charges set of four hits
creating a massive pressure wave which is forced really calm as a stream
of particles traveling at twenty five times the speed of sound went into the tank a huge pressure wave
and scabs have molten metal Les Mis journey three leave little chance to escape the poor
souls side at number four depleted uranium and now
we start getting into the territory we can really hurt by standards uranium
is a byproduct of nuclear enrichment no walls that's not all that radioactive
in itself it is very very dense and is just lying around of the
enrichment process which makes it ideal for armor-piercing bullets and tank
shells so why is it so horrible well when the
shell hits the tank it factors into several raise a shop chunks in a fine powder so hot it burns
on contact with their so when he gets through the tank I'll it
sprays razor sharp shards of metal around and a huge fireball is formed
making life very unpleasant once again for the
people inside I want system done that's all the powder
flies at the atmosphere and settles on the ground word eventually gets ingested by the local population or other
soldiers health risks are disputed by some studies especially claims it causes cancer but when
ingested you can have harmful effects hospitals in parts of the Balkans and
Iraq reported massive increases in childhood leukemia birth defects in fact in Philly Joe the
infant mortality rate due to those two factors alone X 13 points6 sent with a depleted uranium shells are still
in wide-scale use the UN has recommended that could potentially fall under the
title chemical weapons which would make a use illegal out all on the surface point for us first is
just fine and dandy is a chemical compound find out about
Terry shells and grenades which is used to create smoke too high
tanks and troops and used as a marker to illuminate targets nothing quite so dangerous that it may
even directly save some lives out except for when it actually hits
something because then it becomes a bubbling ruling substance that sticks to
everything could melt flesh right down to the bone
and once it's done that the chemical gets into the
bloodstream good cause multiple massive organ failures if it hits a tank
or thrown into a bunker the rapidly burning chemical uses all
the oxygen in the vicinity spreads noxious fumes around suffocating
anyone inside it's also really difficult to pass out
its use as a weapon is partially bound you not allow to fart
in hopes using its chemical properties to kill
people although in a rather sick twisted you can use as he paced melty properties
kill far more humane obviously america's
admitted to using the stuff in Afghanistan and Iraq israel's use it against Lebanon in 2006
Gaza in 2008 and its legal status well as long as
it's only used against soldiers in open ground its more or less unfortunately fine at
number two cluster bombs because what's worse than
upon several thousand tiny ones that's what no especially when half of them don't go
off either by accident or because they're waiting for some unfortunate
soldier or just as often civilian to step on
them or pick them up cluster bombs are tiny explosive device
is carried in one giant baumholder either a large single bomb or
an artillery shell a set distance above the ground the
shell disintegrate spreading anywhere from a few dozen 2002 bomblets over a wide area ground
they are designed to destroy buildings but hit infantry roads or airfield
runway school sometimes to lay minefields of the basically the design steakhouse of targets in a
way that will keep the from being prepared the problem with
that is that the bombs can simply stay around he the sometimes explode for
whatever reason or they aren't meant to explode they
left head approaching troops to detonate later and they can like for
decades just waiting for someone to step on what
they are pretty indiscriminate and collateral damage is almost seventy
and the weapons are everywhere in Vietnam Cambodia and
Laos chechnya croatia Yugoslavia Afghanistan
and Iraq after the admitted use a fifty
hundred-plus the weapons on baghdad including residential areas
in 2003 General Richard Myers chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff declared thats only one civilian casualty it recorded
this is what a custom looks like on surprisingly there are records suggesting far fall more kill endangered and tens of thousands Obama its remain
unexploded a 2008 convention banning cluster
munitions was signed by 83 countries the US and Russia 1.2 and finally our
number one analyst to destruction burbs nuclear missiles on the most
terrifying things we've ever built more scary even
believers so what would happen if you cross the
nuclear missile with a cluster bomb well you'd end up
with above or a multiple independently target table
reentry vehicle the premise is simple I'm totally pissed
Arctic it takes off feisty into space and then
splits open dropping several remotely guided bombs
back to the ground these smaller bombs are combined with
radar confusing flares harder to shoot down and because you're
not putting all your nuclear eggs in one basket far more destructive when they hit think they've been
scrapped by now nap the US Minuteman missile carries three
nuclear bombs the Trident system used by the US and UK carries 12 purpose of that's one missile
the potential to single-handedly wiped out London Berlin Madrid Rome Paris
bucharest Vienna Budapest Hamburg Walsall Barcelona and Munich the a why
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