Workers detonate old explosives found on AEDC property

Workers clearing unexploded ordnance (UXO) on Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) property March 3 found and destroyed two 2.36-inch anti-tank practice rockets similar to the one pictured. The rockets were found under a layer of leaves in the wooded area between UTSI Road and Hap Arnold Drive, south of Wattendorf Highway. A third rocket was found and detonated the next day. Since last year, Bay West Inc. crews contracted by AEDC through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Omaha have been working to clear UXO from the 518-acre Old Impact Area South historical range, which was used for various types of explosives training when it was the U.S. Army’s Camp Forrest in the 1940s. The UXO is disposed of by digging a hole and placing it in the ground with a charge, covering it with plywood and dirt and then detonating the ordnance. The remains (frag) of the UXO are recovered, designated munitions debris and stored in a secure location until they can be shipped off for recycling. (Photo submitted)