Editing Insensitive munition (section)

==Insensitive high explosives==
Insensitive munitions are almost always filled with fire resistant, shock resistant '''insensitive [[explosive material|high explosives]]''' ('''IHE''') such as triaminotrinitrobenzene ([[TATB]]) or various insensitive explosive mixtures, or plastic/[[polymer-bonded explosive]]s, which are similar to [[reactive material]]s. TATB particularly will not detonate if impacted by typical fragments or burned in a fire.

A new IHE called Insensitive Munitions Explosive ([[IMX-101]]) has been qualified and approved by the U.S. Army to replace trinitrotoluene (TNT). IMX-101 is said to have the "same lethality as traditional TNT, but is far less likely to explode if dropped, shot at or hit by a roadside bomb during transport".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.army.mil/article/43553/army-approves-safer-explosive-to-replace-tnt/|title=Army approves safer explosive to replace TNT|date=August 11, 2010|publisher=United States Army|access-date=2016-10-04|archive-date=2016-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005113821/https://www.army.mil/article/43553/army-approves-safer-explosive-to-replace-tnt/|url-status=live}}</ref> This IHE has been tested and proven to be a safer alternative within large-caliber projectiles currently utilized by the Army and Marine Corps.

Other insensitive high explosives include [[nitroguanidine]], 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene ([[FOX-7]]), and 4,10-dinitro-2,6,8,12-tetraoxa-4,10-diazatetracyclo[5.5.0.0<sup>5,9</sup>.0<sup>3,11</sup>]-dodecane ([[TEX-explosive|TEX]]).<ref>Koch, E.-C., [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/prep.201400195/pdf "TEX - 4,10-Dinitro-2,6,8,12-tetraoxa-4,10-diazatetracyclo[5.5.0.05,9.03,11&#93; -dodecane"], ''Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics'' '''2015''',''40'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515132329/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/prep.201400195/pdf |date=2015-05-15 }}</ref>

IHEs often combine [[amino group]]s and [[nitro group]]s in the same molecule.

Within the [[United States Department of Energy]] (DOE) and [[National Nuclear Security Administration|National Nuclear Safety Administration]], the term IHE has very specific meaning. In fact, under the DOE's definition, an [[explosive]] or explosive mixture (e.g., [[Plastic bonded explosive|Plastic Bonded Explosives]]) cannot be described as an IHE without meeting rigorous testing and qualification criteria as described in the DOE Technical Standard "Explosive Safety."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=Thomas |title=Explosives Safety — DOE Technical Standards Program |url=https://www.standards.doe.gov/standards-documents/1200/1212-astd-2019 |access-date=2023-08-16 |website=www.standards.doe.gov |language=en}}</ref>

===Origin===
Following the [[1966 Palomares B-52 crash]] and the [[1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash]], concerns were raised by accident investigators about the [[high explosive]] used in the [[nuclear device]]s, which had detonated on impact. Efforts were started to find an explosive that was [[chemical stability|stable]] enough to withstand the forces involved in an aircraft accident.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIXkp-SSehcC|title=Explosive Effects and Applications|first1=Jonas A. |last1=Zukas |first2=William P. |last2=Walters |pages=305–307|isbn=978-0-387-95558-2|publisher=Springer|year=2002}}</ref>  The [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]] developed the "[[Explosives safety#Susan Test|Susan Test]]" – a standard test designed to simulate an aircraft accident by squeezing and nipping explosive material between metal surfaces of a test projectile. Following experiments with this device, the [[Los Alamos National Laboratory]] developed a new safer type of explosive, called insensitive high explosive (IHE), for use in U.S. nuclear weapons.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3iOg-t-3q1sC|title=No end in sight|first=Nathan E. |last=Busch|pages=50–51|isbn=978-0-8131-2323-3|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|year=2004|access-date=2021-01-25|archive-date=2017-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927171926/https://books.google.com/books?id=3iOg-t-3q1sC|url-status=live}}</ref>

IHE explosives can withstand impacts up to {{convert|1500|ft/s|m/s}}, as opposed to conventional HE, which will detonate at only {{convert|100|ft/s|m/s}}.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ehNSmE0AJgAC|title=Nuclear weapons, scientists, and the post-Cold War challenge|first=Sidney David |last=Drell|pages=147–150|isbn=978-981-256-896-0|publisher=World Scientific|year=2007}}</ref>

===Use in nuclear weapons===
Insensitive high explosives have been available to the United States military for use in its nuclear weapons since 1979—by 1991, 25% of the country's nuclear stockpile was using IHE.<ref name="BAS">{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cwwAAAAAMBAJ|title=How Safe is Safe?|magazine=[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]]|date=April 1991|pages=34–40|access-date=2021-01-25|archive-date=2014-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723102838/http://books.google.com/books?id=cwwAAAAAMBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Most modern [[Nuclear weapons and the United States|American nuclear weapons]], and at least those of the [[United Kingdom]], are manufactured using insensitive munition designs. These are almost exclusively [[TATB]] [[polymer bonded explosive|plastic bonded explosive]] (LX-17-0 and [[PBX-9502]]). Conventional high explosives are still used in [[missile]]s and [[nuclear artillery]] shells where weight and volume is a factor (IHE by weight contains only two-thirds the energy of HE, so more is needed to achieve the same effect).<ref name="BAS"/>