Traditional open burning and open detonation destruction processes used to demilitarize obsolete missiles might become a thing of the past due to a first-of-its-kind Missile Recycling Capability (MRC) developed by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.

MRC is a total resource recovery and recycling technology designed to safely demilitarize and cost-effectively recycle expensive chemical and hardware components found in the vast majority of the missiles in the Army, Navy, Air Force and NATO inventories. Aging and obsolete missiles the Army has been storing for years could soon be on their way to the recycling bin.

The fully integrated MRC includes missile disassembly, rocket motor denozzling, propellant removal, warhead billet removal, billet splitting, explosive size reduction, energetic ingredient recovery, slurry explosive manufacturing, hardware decontamination, and pack-out and shipping.

Recycling tactical missile components and energetic materials is technically feasible, cost effective, and environmentally friendly, based on work demonstrated by AMCOM. MRC technology is now making the transition from its current pilot-scale configuration at Redstone Arsenal to a production-scale, prototype unit for use at Army missile storage depots.

The existing pilot MRC at Redstone Arsenal demonstrated the required technologies to disassemble complete missiles, process and recover the energetics from propellant and warheads, and recover all system hardware components. The research, development, test and engineering prototype design; fabrication; and testing of these supporting modules are completed. These modules were successfully used to process over 200 TOW and other missiles.

Energetics, such as HMX and RDX, recovered from propellants and warheads, may be used in commercial applications (oil and mining industry perforator charges) and other military applications (propellants and warheads).

The 80 million pounds of ammonium perchlorate oxidizer that can be recovered from obsolete missile propellants may be recycled back into new military munitions or converted into various industrial products, including potassium perchlorate, for use by the air bag industry, perchloric acid and other specialty chemical applications.

Prototype demonstration and limited preproduction testing at the production scale will provide the needed information to support the development of an operating production MRC facility. The energetics processing module prototype production capability will be used to determine process throughput efficiencies, economically viable demilitarization schedules, acceptable contractor risks, efficient and economical contractor performance parameters, and best value to the government. These data will result in significant cost savings to the government because of the reduced risk that industry otherwise will be asked to assume.

Implementing MRC will also significantly reduce the potential environmental impacts associated with the Army's requirement to demilitarize approximately 600,000 missiles over the next 10 to 15 years. The technology meets the legislative requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Air Act (hazardous air pollutants and emissions), and executive order mandates for environmentally compliant tactical missile demilitarization.

The program earned a compliment from Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I am strongly encouraged by AMCOM's missile recycling research and development efforts," said Sessions. "Savings to the taxpayer are potentially substantial; however, eliminating the open burn-open detonation of munitions is the environmental goal to be achieved."

Note: Melvin and Wright work for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Thompson is an employee of AMTEC Corporation.