Airmen destroy grenade launchers

Airman, August, 2004 by Dave Maharrey

TALLIL AIR BASE, Iraq -- More than 600 rocket-propelled grenade launchers collected by coalition forces throughout southern Iraq were destroyed by Airmen of the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron in May.

In order to destroy the launchers explosively, it would've completely exhausted the unit's C-4 resources, said Capt. Doug Tippet, explosive ordnance device flight commander.

"With unexploded ordnance littering the ground everywhere at Tallil, it wouldn't have been a wise decision to deplete our entire supply of plastic explosives," he said.

The cost of C-4 is $7.50 per block, but acquiring and receiving the explosive is difficult because of current demand and manufacturing limitations.

After some experiments, structural craftsmen determined the launchers could be destroyed using a welding torch, so the craftsmen made a work table to hold the launchers while they were torched. After the weapons were rendered useless, they were buried.

--Lt. Col. Dave Maharrey 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron