Pentagon Running Out of U.S. Suppliers of Energetic Materials

[Forest Green]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1955407259669864654

View: https://x.com/AirPowerNEW1/status/1955407259669864654

 

[BlackBat242]

It is hard to make military grade explosives detonate unintentionally; sans fuse/initiator or they tend to deflagrate in fire.

Excuse me if I find this a bit of meaningless drivel.

I have read discussions where persons with physics backgrounds have declaimed nearly hysterically that "the so-called 'explosions' that sunk the RN's battlecruisers at Jutland were NOT detonations of the cordite, but rather merely deflagration of the cordite as the chemistry of cordite means it cannot detonate".

What *%$#& difference did that make to the ships and their crews?

 

[Josh_TN]

Excuse me if I find this a bit of meaningless drivel.

I have read discussions where persons with physics backgrounds have declaimed nearly hysterically that "the so-called 'explosions' that sunk the RN's battlecruisers at Jutland were NOT detonations of the cordite, but rather merely deflagration of the cordite as the chemistry of cordite means it cannot detonate".

What *%$#& difference did that make to the ships and their crews?

The fact that no one uses that explosive or propellant anymore because of exactly that. The RN has been heavily criticized for its handling of propellant in that engagement, which was over a century ago.

Also it is worth noting that propellant and high explosives inside shells are two different things. When you see a T-72 jack in the box, that is mostly propellant explosions. Propellant is usually much more flammable than the actual HE it is projecting. Occasionally you see a hit that actually touches off HE ammunition in a tank or self propelled howitzer; when that happens you only find a set of tracks, a barrel, and an engine block. And not necessarily in that order.

 

[dannydale]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HipdjAELeM0
Northrop Grumman promo for their SRB manufacturing operations.

 

[TomS]

I don't know how much production this company handles, but any incident like this is both a tragedy and a setback.

Blast at a Tennessee explosives plant leaves 18 missing and feared dead, sheriff says

Officials say an explosion at a Tennessee explosives plant has left 18 people missing and feared dead.

apnews.com

 

[Training_Dummy]

this is the second fire or explosive incident at an under protected production node.

I guess we will see soon - probably within a month or two - if this a rare statistical anomaly or if it’s enemy action against the US.

 

[Calphor]

this is the second fire or explosive incident at an under protected production node.

I guess we will see soon - probably within a month or two - if this a rare statistical anomaly or if it’s enemy action against the US.

Energetics are a dangerous business. It doesn’t take a conspiracy or enemy action to have an accident. I would expect additional accidents over the next couple of years as companies expand production or new entrants learn the hard lessons on their own when they think they can do things more efficiently. Although safety is ingrained because the costs are high, when either demand requires additional throughput or expertise is reduced/replaced through attrition, age or expansion, lessons will be relearned the hard way.

My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives and for those who survived who have to live with memories of the mistakes that were made.

 

[Forest Green]

this is the second fire or explosive incident at an under protected production node.

I guess we will see soon - probably within a month or two - if this a rare statistical anomaly or if it’s enemy action against the US.

If they do find saboteur involvement they should be shot after a brief but thorough interrogation.

 

[Grey Havoc]

I don't know how much production this company handles, but any incident like this is both a tragedy and a setback.

Blast at a Tennessee explosives plant leaves 18 missing and feared dead, sheriff says

Officials say an explosion at a Tennessee explosives plant has left 18 people missing and feared dead.

apnews.com

It is certainly likely to seriously disrupt both military and commercial supply lines.

BBC story on the disaster from 4 hours ago:

19 people missing after blast levels Tennessee explosives facility

"There's nothing to describe, it's gone," says Humphreys County Sheriff Mike Davis.

www.bbc.com

If they do find saboteur involvement they should be shot after a brief but thorough interrogation.

That is unlikely while current laws and associated precedents are still in effect, unfortunately. In recent times, the US courts have had a mostly laissez-faire attitude towards treason and the like, in part due to rather dubious interpretations of the Constitution's take on what exactly defines espionage and treason.

 

[Nik]

I suspect materials have become 'more energetic', while precautions have not matched them...
--
Disclosure: After Uni, the second interview I attended was at a specialist 'Pharmaceutical' materials site.
Noting their manufacturing 'bays' were stand-alone 'bunkers' with really-thick walls, frangible roofs and multiple foam-inlets, I was, um, a tad unsettled.
The interview team showed me a molecular formula, asked how I'd make it.
I counted the ways it could 'vigorously disassemble', sorta choked when I reached 'Too Many'.
Very diffidently, I expressed polite surprise that they could make it at all, never mind have it remain stable at ambient temperature.
They chuckled, mentioned they had a robust procedure--
At which point, alarms and bleepers awoke.
Site fire-team scampered past window with the biggest foam-extinguisher trolley I'd ever seen.
More alarms sounded, more bleepers, then a siren.
A really, really loud siren...
Within moments, I was alone.
Seconds later, the Admin building's 'Fire Marshal' looked in, noticed I'd not left, gave me £ ½ for my petrol and bid me to go NOW, before usual convoy of fire-engines arrived...
Several years later, that site had a 'gas escape' which turned all downwind grass in vicinity blue.

The first interview ? At site which made 'stabilisers' for PVC, chemicals revealed that morning as extremely carcinogenic. Yeah, verily, that report put the 'U' in 'U-PVC'....

 

[TomS]

If they do find saboteur involvement they should be shot after a brief but thorough interrogation.

There's no real reason to suspect that. As Calphor said, energetics are inherently dangerous. And this company has a couple of incidents in its history (another fatal explosion in 2014, some safety failures around 2019). Far more likely that they got a little lax, possibly compounded by high demand.

It doesn't look like they work with very experimental or novel materials -- their main products seem to be Claymores, landmines, and various types of demolition and breaching charges.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Apparently they were doing some R&D onsite (other company research facilities located elsewhere swamped with work, perhaps?). The company also provides (provided?) explosives and related products for other sectors including both the aerospace and oil & gas industries.

While it is quite possible as you say that it was an accident, there have been a lot of suspicious incidents in the last year alone, so sabotage of one sort or another can not be ruled out yet

 

[Dilandu]

this is the second fire or explosive incident at an under protected production node.

I guess we will see soon - probably within a month or two - if this a rare statistical anomaly or if it’s enemy action against the US.

I suspect that it's result of desperate attempts to increase production of explosives after literally decades of negligence. Too few factories with too old equipment and too little trained personnel are trying to meet skyrocketed demands; the probability of incidents drastically increased, of course.

 

[Josh_TN]

I have read in other sources this was a research facility and not a production site, though I have no idea how accurate that is.

 

[TomS]

I have read in other sources this was a research facility and not a production site, though I have no idea how accurate that is.

The company does both on the same property, apparently. I wasn't able to confirm what that specific building was used for, but I saw a report that this happened during a shift change, which explains the high number of the fatalities. It would seem unlikely that a pure research site would run overnight shifts, so my hunch would be it was a manufacturing facility. But that is only guess.

 

[Grey Havoc]

The main research lab seems to have been underground and located some distance from the main buildings:

Research and Development | AES | Accurate Energetic Systems

Research and Development capabilities for energetic materials mixing includes polymer coatings, resin-based cast curable and inert materials. Learn about AES's commitment to innovation through our research and development in energetics. Discover how our R&D efforts are leading to safer, more...

www.aesys.biz

In related news:

'In an instant, they were gone': Mall town mourns after Tennessee factory blast

Authorities say the 16 people missing after the explosives factory incident are all presumed dead.

www.bbc.com

 

[Forest Green]

Sympathetic explosions?

Explosion and Major Fire Reported at Avangard Defense Plant in Russia’s Bashkortostan​

Explosion and Major Fire Reported at Avangard Defense Plant in Russia’s Bashkortostan

An explosion at the Avangard chemical plant in Sterlitamak led to a significant fire, with reports of injuries as emergency services respond.

united24media.com

https://www.reuters.com/world/blast-explosives-plant-russias-bashkortostan-kills-three-people-governor-says-2025-10-18/

The Avangard plant manufactures industrial explosives and dismantles ammunition.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1979425553888251937

View: https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1979425553888251937

 

[Forest Green]

Raytheon, Avio to establish SRM facility​

Raytheon, Avio to establish SRM facility | InsideDefense.com

RTX’s Raytheon has signed a memorandum of understanding with propulsion technology company Avio to help the later company establish a solid rocket motor production facility within the United States, according to a Monday announcement.

insidedefense.com

 

[Forest Green]

Northrop Tests New Rocket Motor as Part of Innovation Push​

Northrop Tests New Rocket Motor as Part of Innovation Push

Northrop Grumman's internally funded SMART effort aims to rapidly design and build rocket motors using advanced manufacturing techniques.

www.airandspaceforces.com

Hanwha plans to build US facility to manufacture modular 155mm howitzer charges​

Hanwha plans to build US facility to manufacture modular 155mm howitzer charges - Breaking Defense

“By bringing this state-of-the-art manufacturing line to the US, we will be able to provide the US Army with a domestic source of triple-base propellant,” Hanwha ammo plant manager Lee Woo Jin told reporters.

breakingdefense.com

 

[Forest Green]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2002039921209450883

View: https://x.com/SanderRegter/status/2002039921209450883?s=20

 

[Forest Green]

With the boom for solid rocket motors for missiles, a perilous crunch in the supply chain​

With the boom for solid rocket motors for missiles, a perilous crunch in the supply chain - Breaking Defense

To increase munitions stockpiles, the US military needs more solid rocket motors. Deep into the supply chain, there are still problems, executives told Breaking Defense.

breakingdefense.com

Pentagon to invest $1B in L3Harris solid rocket motor spin off​

Pentagon to invest $1B in L3Harris solid rocket motor spin off - Breaking Defense

L3Harris announced plans to conduct an initial public offering of its Missile Solutions business in the second half of 2026.

breakingdefense.com

 

[Forest Green]

L3Harris anticipates 'double-digit' growth in missile business after DOD moves, has yet to see reconciliation money​

L3Harris anticipates 'double-digit' growth in missile business after DOD moves, has yet to see reconciliation money | InsideDefense.com

L3Harris expects its missile propulsion business to grow at a double-digit clip for the foreseeable future, company executives said today after the Pentagon announced a novel $1 trillion investment into the business and unveiled two new missile production agreements with Lockheed Martin.

insidedefense.com

 

[Forest Green]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2026258607772254711

View: https://x.com/AirPowerNEW1/status/2026258607772254711?s=20

 

[Mr.T]

There is always enough suppliers in China