Army develops stable substitute for TNT.

• Author: Beidel, Eric
• Position: TECHWIRE

* Move over TNT, the Army has developed a new explosive mixture that officials say will save lives.

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It took engineers at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., four years to come up with Insensitive Munitions Explosive 101, or IMX-101, which experts say is more thermally stable than TNT. Projectiles containing IMX-101 are less likely to explode if dropped, shot at or hit by a roadside bomb during transport. The solution contains dinitranisole, nitrotriazalone and nitroguanidin, the latter of which is also used in insecticides.

"The formulation is currently being aluminized for application in general purpose bombs as a further effort to eliminate TNT from all munitions," said James Rutkowski, energetics chief at Picatinny.

It will take many years before TNT can be phased out. In the meantime, the Army proposes to use TNT-filled shells in training and push IMX-101 projectiles forward for use by troops in theater. The new mixture has been approved for the Army's M795 projectile and M1122 training projectile. The service will field its first munitions containing the new explosive this year.

Projectiles containing...