REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

www.mod.gov.rs

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Material Resources Sector

Defensive Technologies Department

Military Technical Institute

www.vti.mod.gov.rs

Ammunition surplus - tHreat to possessors Disposal methods: review of demilitarization technologies

BLAŽ MIHELIČ

Slovenian MOD/SAF, Ljubljana, blaz.mihelic@mors.si; blazmihelic@yahoo.com

Abstract: A surplus of conventional ammunition which is old, unserviceable, unstable or hazardous carries a great threat for possessors. Numerous Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) are clear evidence of the global problem related to Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM). Statistical data of UEMS and their causes and consequences are presented.

Different disposal methods are discussed; demilitarization technologies are reviewed with an emphasis on a safe, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly approach. Examples of different types of ammunition, various types of energetic materials, and reclamation technologies are shown, and practical experience in Resources, Recovery, and Recycling, the R3 approach of conventional ammunitions demilitarization, is shared.

Keywords: ammunition, demilitarization, disposal, explosion, R3.