Northern Fleet to Dispose Overaged Munitions

08.08.2012 Experts of Russia's Northern Fleet (NF) plan to dispose over 50,000 overaged engineer munitions by mid-Oct, reported NF spokesman Capt 1 Rank Vadim Serga.

According to him, among other items subject to utilization are antitank mines, mine fuses and detonators. It is planned to explode munitions at specially prepared area 10 km away from population center Severomorsk-3.

Yield of simultaneously exploded munitions will not exceed 80 kg. According to NF press service, maximum allowable yield is 150 kg. Permanent acoustic and environmental monitoring is held in the detonation area.

"Demolition works are held only in day time and in full compliance with all appropriate security measures, including ban on flights over the demolition area", explained the interviewee.

Since Apr 2012, over 53,000 artillery shells, antitank rockets, antitank and antipersonnel mines have been disposed at Northern Fleet, said Serga. Other 15,500 munitions were sent to Russia's central regions for utilization.

As was earlier reported, 6 mln tons of munitions are stored in Russian defense ministry's arsenals. Half of them are overaged ordnances with expired service life; they are to be disposed by Jan 2014. Alongside with that, defense ministry plans to build new arsenals and reconstruct available ones, as well as to make ammunition storage safer. The ministry will spend RUR 90 bln for those purposes by 2015.