Targets of Opportunity: Analysis of the Use of Depleted Uranium by A-10s in the 2003 Iraq War
Publisher: International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons and PAX
Author(s): Wim Zwijnenburg and Doug Weir
Date: 2016
Topics: Governance, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Iraq
The US and UK have acknowledged firing 116,000kg of depleted uranium (DU) ammunition in the 2003 Iraq War. Just over 45% of this was fired by one platform, the US A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft. The chance release of targeting data from 1,116 sorties flown by A-10s between March 20th and April 15th 2003 has for the first time made it possible to reconstruct where the aircraft fired DU, what they fired at and how many rounds they used. The analysis in this report reveals that in 2003 DU use was widespread across Iraq. While the majority of strikes were outside or on the outskirts of heavily populated areas, those strikes that were in towns and cities often saw proportionately more DU used. Significantly, the data confirm that only 33% of the A-10s’ targets were tanks or armoured vehicles, with the weapons also used against light vehicles, buildings and unmounted troops.