Attachment 10
EXPLOSIVES ON OR NEAR AIRFIELDS
A10.1. Contents. All explosives locations, including locations where aircraft loaded with explosives are
parked, must be sited in accordance with Department of Defense (DoD) Standard 6055.9, DOD
Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards, and with applicable service explosives safety regulations.
Explosives site plans, approved through command channels to the DoD, ensure that minimal acceptable
risk exists between explosives and other airfield resources. To prevent inadvertent ignition of
electroexplosive devices (EEDs), separation between sources of electromagnetic radiation is required.
Separation distances must be according to safe separation distance criteria. Grounding requirements,
lightning protection, and further considerations for explosives on aircraft are presented below.
A10.2. Separation Distance Requirements. Minimum standards for separating explosives (Explosion
Separation Distances and Quantity-Distance (Q-D) Relationships) loaded aircraft from runways, taxiways,
inhabited buildings, and other loaded aircraft are established in Chapter 5 of AR 385-64, Ammunition and
Force, and NAVSEA OP-5, Ammunition and Explosives Ashore, Safety Regulations for Handling, Storing,
and Marine Corps. These documents also establish Quantity-Distance (Q-D) relationships for separating
related and unrelated Potential Explosion Site (PES) and explosive and nonexplosive Exposed Sites.
A10.3. Prohibited Zones. Explosives, explosive facilities, and parked explosives-loaded aircraft (or
those being loaded or unloaded) are prohibited from being located in Accident Potential Zones I and II and
clear zones as set forth in AR 385-64 Chapter 6 and AFMAN 91-201.
A10.4. Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Electroexplosive Devices (EED). General.
Electroexplosive devices (EED) on aircraft are initiated electrically. The accidental firing of EED carried
on aircraft initiated by stray electromagnetic energy is a possible hazard on an airfield. A large number of
these devices are initiated by low levels of electrical energy and are susceptible to unintentional ignition by
many forms of direct or induced stray electrical energy, such as radio frequency (RF) energy from ground
and airborne emitters (transmitters). Additional sources of stray electrical energy are: lightning
discharges, static electricity or triboelectric (friction-generated) effects, and the operation of electrical and
electronic subsystem onboard weapon systems. AFMAN 91-201 should be used as a guide in setting up
safe separation between aircraft loaded with EED.
A10.5. Lightning Protection. Lightning protection must be installed on open pads used for
manufacturing, processing, handling, or storing explosives and ammunition. Lightning protection systems
must comply with DoD Standard 6055.9, AFM 88-9/TM 5-811-3 (Chapter 3), Electrical Design, Lightning
Association (NFPA) 780, Standards for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems.
A10.6. Grounding of Aircraft. Aircraft that are being loaded with explosives must be grounded at all
times. Air Force grounding of aircraft will be in accordance with AFMAN 91-201 and applicable weapons
systems technical orders.
A10.7. Hot Refueling. Hot refueling is the transfer of fuel into an aircraft with one or more engines
running. The purpose of hot refueling is to reduce aircraft ground time, personnel and support equipment
requirements, and increase system reliability and effectiveness by eliminating system shut-down and
A10-1
Previous Page
