The Pentagon and the defense industry have initiated efforts to increase production of high-end explosives and such initiatives include reestablishing domestic supply chains and refurbishing factories, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
The war in Ukraine has prompted the Department of Defense to expand the manufacturing and use of an explosive material called CL-20 to help address the “molecule gap” with China.
Developed during the 1980s, CL-20 has been used as a material in a warhead that equips AeroVironment-built Switchblade drones, which have been deployed in Ukraine to counter Russian forces.
According to the report, CL-20 could provide shells with greater range and generate a bigger explosion since it is up to 40 percent more powerful than older energetics.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., plans to advance CL-20 adoption by introducing an amendment to the fiscal 2024 defense policy measure that would require DOD to launch a pilot program that incorporates the explosive material into three of its preferred munitions or missile systems.
Sources said the utilization of CL-20 improved the lethality of the Switchblade drones deployed to Ukraine to counter tanks and other armored vehicles.
Gallagher added that the use of CL-20 in the Ukraine war effort helped back the case to expand the use of the explosive material.
