Formable ("plastic") High Explosives are for use by combat engineering, infantry troops and bomb squad units for demolition purposes and general use. It is mainly being manufactured in the form of demolition charges ("sticks" or "blocks"). Current demolition charges incorporate TNT, Comp B., PETN, C-4, etc.
Armed Forces around the globe are demanding a new generation of explosives which will respond to the following growing requirements:
- Insensitive Munition - IM – safer explosives
- Marking and/or Tagging of the explosives for easy detection
- Stable with good mechanical characteristics that make it suitable for extreme weather conditions and underwater operations
- Long shelf/service life
- High energetic capabilities
PX64, a formable high performance explosive with reduced sensitivity, is an HTPB based RDX containing explosive, which was developed by MANOR Division in RAFAEL.
The PX64 is defined as Formable Insensitive High Explosive (FIHE).
PX64 was developed in1999 on the basis of the wide experience of over 20 years acquired at RAFAEL/MANOR with composite solid propellants and PBX explosive compounds, which were tested and approved for use by the Israeli Defense Forces and international customers. As part of the approval process of the PX-64 for use by the IDF, a series of safety and sensitivity tests based on NATO STANAG and US MIL-STD 2105C test specifications were performed. |
