Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) - Program Executive Office Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives

Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant chemical agent original tonnage destroyed

U.S. Chemical Weapons Stockpile Destroyed

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U.S. Chemical Weapons Stockpile Destroyed

BGCAPP Stats at a Glance

Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

BGCAPP safely destroyed a stockpile of chemical weapons previously stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. A portion of the destroyed munitions included M55 rockets. After the rocket warheads were punched and drained of their chemical agent, they were sealed into individual containers and returned to a storage igloo. Those drained, containerized rocket warheads (CRW), which contained residual amounts of GB or VX nerve agents, were destroyed in Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) units at BGCAPP. The rocket motors were securely shipped to the Anniston Field Office at the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama and destroyed in an SDC unit.

Current Project Phase:

Closure

Chemical Agent Destroyed:

523.4 U.S. Tons

The Blue Grass Army Depot originally stored more than 523 tons of mustard and nerve agent in rockets and projectiles.

BG 155mm

155mm Projectiles

MUSTARD CAMPAIGN INITIATED: JUNE 7, 2019; COMPLETED SEPT. 4, 2021
VX CAMPAIGN INITIATED: JAN. 10, 2021; COMPLETED MAY 28, 2021

The 155mm projectile is a World War II-type munition. The 155mm projectiles in the Blue Grass stockpile contained mustard agent (H) or nerve agent (VX). Up to three colored bands, signifying the chemical agent within the munition, characterize its gray projectile body. The shell contained an adapter and a burster casing that screwed into the nose of the shell, also allowing a fuze to be screwed into the nose of the projectile. The VX projectile cavity contained 6 pounds of liquid agent and included a burster well but no burster; the mustard agent projectiles contained 11.7 pounds of liquid agent and a burster.

BG 8-inch

8-inch Projectiles

CAMPAIGN INITIATED: JAN. 17, 2020
CAMPAIGN COMPLETED: MAY 11, 2020

The 8-inch projectile had a hollow, one-piece steel shell that was press fitted with a burster casing. The fuze cavity was sealed with a closing plug and gasket. The GB projectile cavity contained 14.5 pounds of liquid nerve agent. A lifting lug was installed into the fuze cavity to ease handling and shipping.

BG M55 Rockets

M55 Rockets

VX CAMPAIGN INITIATED: JULY 9, 2021;
COMPLETED APRIL 19, 2022
GB CAMPAIGN INITIATED: JULY 6, 2022
COMPLETED JULY 7, 2023

The M55 rocket, produced in the late 1950s, provided toxic chemical offensive capability for large target areas at long range. Originally intended for battlefield use, the rocket consisted of an aluminum nozzle assembly with spring-loaded fins, a rocket motor and a fused warhead containing chemical agent. Designed to carry approximately 11 pounds of agent, the rockets were packed in cylindrical fiberglass shipping and firing tubes.

Munition	Agent Type	Quantity	Destruction Technology
M55 Rocket	GB	51,740	Neutralization/SDC*
M55 Rocket	VX	17,739	Neutralization
8-inch Projectile	GB	3,977	Neutralization
155mm Projectile	VX	12,816	Neutralization
155mm Projectile	H	15,492	SDC*
DOT Bottles	H	2**	SDC*
DOT Bottle	VX	1**	Neutralization
Total		101,764

* Static Detonation Chamber
** Department of Transportation (DOT) bottles are not included in the original declaration quantities, since they contained samples/waste from declared stockpile

M55 rocket
8-inch projectile
155mm projectile
DOT bottle

Munition	Agent Type	Quantity	Destruction Technology
M55 Rocket	GB	51,740	Neutralization/SDC*
M55 Rocket	VX	17,739	Neutralization
8-inch Projectile	GB	3,977	Neutralization
155mm Projectile	VX	12,816	Neutralization
155mm Projectile	H	15,492	SDC*
DOT Bottles	H	2**	SDC*
DOT Bottle	VX	1**	Neutralization
Total		101,764

* Static Detonation Cahmber
** Department of Transportation (DOT) bottles are not included in the original declaration quantities, since they contained samples/waste from declared stockpile

Chemical Weapons Destruction Technologies

MAIN PLANT

START DATE: JAN. 17, 2020
END DATE: JULY 7, 2023

Neutralization

Neutralization was selected to destroy the nerve agent stockpile at the Blue Grass plant. Extensively trained, knowledgeable, skilled workers and state-of-the-art robotics systems ensured the safe destruction of the stockpile.

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EXPLOSIVE DESTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

START DATE: JUNE 7, 2019
END DATE: SEPT. 4, 2021
SDC 2000 – START DATE: JAN. 23, 2023; END DATE: AUG. 11, 2025
SDC 1200 – START DATE: OCT. 25, 2023; END DATE: SEPT. 11, 2025

Static Detonation Chamber

Static Detonation Chamber, or SDC, units were chosen to be part of the chemical weapons destruction process at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. SDC units augmented the main plant by destroying the entire mustard munition stockpile and containerized, undrained nerve-agent warheads; rockets unsuitable for destruction in the main plant; and overpacked rockets. The SDC units destroyed drained, containerized rocket warheads, considered agent-contaminated secondary waste, as part of the plant’s closure phase.

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