More Explosive Updates

Two releases from Cannon Air Force Base on the previously mentioned bomb.

WW II-ERA MUNITION SAFELY TRANSPORTED TO MELROSE AIR FORCE RANGE

Posted 6/14/2010 Updated 6/14/2010 Email story Print story



Release Number: 061410

6/14/2010 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Escorted by New Mexico State Police, a joint team of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists safely transported a World War II-era ordnance from Hobbs, N.M., to Melrose Air Force Range on June 13.

Found the week prior in White City, N.M., the ordnance was transported to a field just outside the Western Heritage Museum in northern Hobbs to be considered for use as a museum artifact. Upon arrival on scene on June 11, State Police promptly established a safety perimeter around the munition. State Police EOD technicians then conducted an initial examination of the ordnance and, suspecting it to be a U.S.-military munition, called the nearest military EOD team at Cannon Air Force Base to further determine the exact type and render it safe.

Two EOD technicians from Cannon AFB, located approximately 125 miles north of Hobbs, responded immediately to the request, equipped with tools such as X-ray machines to better pinpoint the type and composition of the ordnance. Partly due to the weathered state of the munition, the EOD technicians were unable to positively identify the ordnance and requested the assistance of U.S. Army EOD specialists to bring in additional equipment to examine and package it for safe transportation to Melrose Air Force Range, the closest military installation, for safe disposal.

Melrose AF Range, located approximately 25 miles west of Cannon AFB, is a 66,010-acre bombing range run by Cannon AFB, used for training such as air to ground, small arms, and electronic combat.

Earlier Sunday, the 6-person U.S. Army EOD team arrived in Hobbs and conducted a thorough examination of the ordnance. Deeming it safe for transport to Melrose Air Force Range, the team then sealed and packaged it for travel by a secure tractor trailer.

At Melrose AF Range, further analysis will be conducted on the ordnance to pinpoint its exact contents. Following this, EOD technicians are expected to safely destroy the munition by the end of the week.

Additional details will be provided as soon as they become available.



News > WORLD WAR II-ERA MUNITION CONTENTS IDENTIFIED







WORLD WAR II-ERA MUNITION CONTENTS IDENTIFIED

Posted 6/15/2010 Updated 6/15/2010 Email story Print story



Release Number: 060610

6/15/2010 - CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- A joint team of U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists successfully identified the contents of a World War II-era ordnance located June 11 near a Hobbs, N.M., museum.

Extensive tests confirmed June 14 the nearly 100-pound ordnance to be an incendiary device, which is typically composed of a gasoline and rubber mixture or oil mixture. This type of explosive can be safely stored and will ultimately be destroyed at a later date by Cannon Air Force Base EOD technicians.

The ordnance was originally found in White City, N.M., early last week and later taken to the Western Heritage Museum in Hobbs, N.M., to be considered for a museum display.

New Mexico State Police, Cannon, and U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians worked in a collaborative effort to identify the type and content of the ordnance and ultimately render it safe.

One major finding was that the ordnance did not contain a fuse, greatly decreasing the likelihood of any unintended detonation of the device. The lack of a fuse contributed to the decision to transport the ordnance from Hobbs, N.M., to Melrose Air Force Range on June 14.

Run by Cannon, the Melrose range provided a more secure environment for EOD technicians to conduct further tests on the munition to pinpoint its exact type and composition.

Now that the contents of the ordnance have been successfully identified and considered safe for storage, Cannon will hold it in a secure facility and safely dispose of it at a date that has not yet been set.