A team at the Blue Grass plant received 44 M60 training rockets from the Blue Grass Chemical Activity Nov. 5.

“This is an excellent opportunity to validate our draft procedures,” said Terry Staggs, plant support specialist, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “It will also provide critical information on the settings of the demilitarization machines as they process these rockets.”

The rockets do not contain chemical agent and were developed by the U.S. Army for training purposes. They are dimensionally identical to the M55 chemical agent-filled rockets the plant will destroy during operations, Staggs said.

Munitions handlers, forklift operators, safety, environmental and waste management workers and others were on hand to go through procedures and train.

“Munitions handlers started training several months ago to prepare for this transport operation and all future operations,” said Barry Barker, shift plant manager, BPBG. “They are dedicated individuals and have worked very hard to make the project a success.”

The rockets were unloaded from an Enhanced On-site Container transport device and placed in the Munitions Demilitarization Building. They will be used to test rocket-handling equipment before operations begin.