Pentagon rush to counter drone threat may be undermining safety standards, Army explosive safety specialist warns

Key Points:

• A U.S. Army explosive safety specialist warned in a March memo that the Defense Department's rapid push to develop low-cost, expendable drones for battlefield use may be compromising basic explosive safety standards, increasing the risk of accidents.
• The warning followed an incident at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center where a mini-drone carrying an XM183 "MiniBlast" pyrotechnic cartridge detonated during troubleshooting, causing minor injuries to a Special Forces soldier.
• The safety specialist suggested the blast might have been triggered by static electricity or electromagnetic radiation due to an improperly secured relay switch, highlighting potential hazards in drone ordnance handling.
• The XM183 "MiniBlast" cartridge is designed to simulate combat effects for training but carries a medium-level hazard risk due to potential shrapnel and accidental detonation; it has not yet received full material approval from the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command.
• Army officials confirmed the memo's authenticity but characterized the safety specialist's concerns as opinion rather than fact, noting the injured soldier returned to duty quickly and that the incident did not meet the threshold for a formal safety investigation.