In keeping with the spirit of the 2008 Oslo accord, the UK and France are already looking at means of de-stocking and demilitarising their inventory of sub-munition equipped MLRS rockets (27,000 in the case of the UK and 22,000 for France).

As a result, NAMSA (the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency), has issued an RFP (Request For Proposals) on behalf of the UK MoD while DCMAT (the materials and maintenance arm of the French Army) has issued an RFI (Request For Information) to elicit solutions from industry.

In response, MBDA is putting forward a highly cost-effective solution that is fully compliant with the wide range of safety, security and environmental issues involved.

This solution benefits from MBDA's extensive experience as a manufacturer of guided missiles, involving not only large-scale dismantling of complex munitions for customers during servicing and product upgrades but also experience in the handling of pyrotechnics.

It also has the full backing of the regional civil authorities in the area of central France known as Region Centre where MBDA has several facilities. It is one of these, Bourges-Subdray, that has been earmarked for the demilitarisation operation because it already has existing buildings that fully meet the required regulatory norms for such an activity.

Up to now, demilitarisation has generally involved the detonation of munitions in the open air with all the negative environmental issues this implies.

Given the quantities of MLRS rockets involved, MBDA will, however, employ the latest equipment including robotic handling devices to ensure that operators are not endangered by proximity to energetic materials.

The process will also include a special furnace capable of burning at very high temperature the propergol (the rocket propellant) and the explosives contained within the MLRS rocket.

Several filtration stages have been identified to ensure that the most stringent of European environmental emissions regulations are met. Recycling also plays a large part in MBDA's solution with 97% of the inert material in each MLRS rocket scheduled for re-use.

Referring to the project, Antoine Bouvier, CEO of MBDA, said: "The MBDA proposal is both comprehensive and mature in offering the most cost-effective and efficient solution to both NAMSA and DCMAT. For MBDA, the setting up of an industrial demilitarisation capability will provide the necessary long term expertise that is becoming increasingly expected of a weapon system company. Indeed, right at the beginning of the conceptual phase of a new programme, military customers are demanding that the through-life cost of ownership right up to the end of equipment life is taken into account".

Plans have already been drawn up in readiness for an area to be adapted within the Bourges-Subdray facility. Suppliers of the necessary equipment have been sourced and the site would be capable of commencing full-scale demilitarisation activities within about 24 months of contract award.

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