Why Was This Toxic US Rocket Eventually Destroyed?

The United States once possessed a chemical weapon known as the M55 rocket. Eventually, the weapon was destroyed.

According to the US military’s official website, the chemical weapons were stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky. The United States began developing them in the 1950s, and more than 400,000 units were produced between 1961 and 1965.

The munitions included M55 rockets containing the nerve agents GB and VX. There were also 155mm projectiles containing mustard agent H and VX, and eight-inch projectiles containing the nerve agent GB.

The weapons were never used. They had originally been intended solely as a deterrent.

The US chemical weapons were eventually destroyed. Chemical munitions containing nerve agents, including rockets filled with GB and VX, were processed at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP) using neutralisation followed by aqueous oxidation.

The SDC operation began with the destruction of the first mustard-agent munition on 7 June 2022. The entire destruction programme was overseen by the Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA).

Why were they destroyed?

The M55 is an artillery rocket that carried chemical agents, including sarin (GB) and VX. Because of their age, the condition of the rockets’ propellant had become a concern.

According to a National Research Council report, the amount of stabiliser in M55 propellant can decline. If the deterioration becomes severe, the propellant could ignite spontaneously. As a result, rockets stored at the depot could pose a danger even without being fired on a battlefield.