A new class of blast: DBX 1 compound pushing Army towards cleaner, smarter firepower

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – Engineers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center researchers say a new explosive i… PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. – Engineers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center researchers say a new explosive initiator could remove environmental and safety risks from the supply chain. DBX-1, full name copper (I) 5-nitrotetrazolate, provides the U.S. Military with an alternative to lead azide, used for decades because of its military reliability despite known risks to human health due to its volatility and toxic composition. DBX-1 maintains a lower toxicity than its legacy counterpart, is more efficient to manufacture and transport and supports a modernized supply chain with no compromise to weapon production or reliability.

As a copper-based compound, DBX-1 eliminates exposure risk to lead while handling, and at the same time opens an avenue towards automation. Instead of a dry powder, DBX-1 is prepared as a wet slurry and is dispensed into initiators via automated equipment, ensuring no dry handling and significantly reducing worker contact with sensitive primary explosives. Lead azide has been a ubiquitous compound in explosives for decades, mostly used as the initiator in an explosive train, found at the heart of most armaments. Initiators are the first materials in the train, converting a trigger into a reliable detonation that sets