MNX-194
MNX-194 in a melt castable, wax binder explosive fill to replace TNT in Army M107/M795 155 mm artillery rounds. Munitions Directorate researchers, funded by the US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command/Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, developed MNX-194, a qualified replacement for Trinitrotoluene (TNT) in both the M107 and M795 155 mm artillery rounds. Directorate researchers from the High Explosives Research and Development Facility developed three compositionally equivalent versions of MNX-194 in which Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) is the sole energetic component.
The primary difference between the three versions is the source and/or pretreatment of the RDX component. Directorate researchers characterized all of these novel wax binder explosive formulations for both small-scale safety and shock sensitivity, and performance. Their research also shows RDX is more powerful than TNT in similar test configurations. Additional characterization and optimization work is currently under way.
Beyond MNX-194 applications for artillery hardware, the Air Force is considering this formulation as a fill for other Air Force applications. In particular, the directorate is developing an aluminized version of the MNX-194 binder matrix as a potential candidate replacement for the TNT-based fill in Mk-series bombs.
The current usage rates and depletion of the Department of Defense stockpile of TNT is causing many program managers to revisit formulation options such as the directorate's bomb fill replacement effort. With a melting temperature similar to that of TNT (~80°C) and the ease of processing this wax binder system, the Air Force considers MNX-194, or modifications thereof, an ideal contender for any TNT replacement program.
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