The PCAPP team successfully completed the 4.2” HT Mortar campaign March 30, 2023, inching closer to the mission operations finale!  4.2” mortar processing is being performed at both the Main Plant and the Static Detonation Chamber complex.  Acceleration of the Main Plants 105mm projectile campaign 13 months early provided the opportunity for both plants to work together to complete destruction of the final munition type. 

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The 20,338 HT subset of the 97,106 4.2” mortar rounds was completed one month early, and set the stage to optimize the Cavity Access Machines to successfully remove HD agent, proven to be a historical challenge for the chemical demilitarization program.  Using key information from the HT campaign, the team optimized the vacuum system to complete initial washout testing of over 500 HD mortars.   The outstanding problem solving and innovation by the ES&T PCAPP team and National Security’s Denver Engineering team led by Steve Davies, remarkably achieved complete washout of problematic heel never accomplished before at the incineration sites.

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The team has just over 35,000 HD rounds to go out of the original stockpile of 780,000 rounds!  Kudos to the employees for their continued safe, compliant operations!!!