SubscribeATK and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently completed a two-year project to construct the nation’s only production facility for Trinitrotoluene (TNT).
In January of this year, the flexible energetics facility at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, Radford Virginia, yielded the first domestically produced TNT in more than two decades. The TNT produced at Radford will primarily be used for U.S. Air Force general purpose bombs.
"ATK is proud of the role it played in support of the DoD to restore America's TNT manufacturing capability," said Steve Kienzle, Vice President, Business Development.
"As the nation continues to fight and wi n the global war on terror, establishing a domestic source of TNT becomes increasingly important." For the last two decades, U.S. forces have relied on TNT reserves produced in the 1980s, international supplies of TNT, and TNT reclaimed from older munitions.
ATK's new production facility is an efficient, modern manufacturing plant that will drive down the cost of TNT while establishing a new capability to produce advanced energetics in the years to come.
The line is capable of producing more than 15 million pounds of TNT annually. At the same time, it sets a new standard for environmental safety because the facility will not emit harmful "red water," a common by-product of traditional TNT production methods.
The line was constructed in a modular fashion so that it can easily be modified to handle next-generation energetics such as Insensitive Munition explosives. "Insensitive Munitions require advanced production techniques and ATK's new facility gives the United States unmatched capability," concluded Kienzle.
ATK's new flexible manufacturing facility will produce the first domestic TNT in 20 years
and will be the production home to next-generation bomb fill for Insensitive Munitions.
