Latest news with #UXOs
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New US sonar tech to hunt hidden WWII-era bombs buried at 400+ underwater sites
More than 400 underwater sites across the U.S. may be contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO)—decades-old bombs and munitions that failed to detonate and now pose serious safety risks, especially in shallow waters now transitioning to public use. Connor Hodges, a Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin, is working on advancing underwater detection by studying how UXOs degrade over time and how those changes affect their acoustic signatures. 'Many of these sites are in shallow water, potentially posing a threat to human safety, and date back several decades,' said Hodges. 'This long exposure to the environment leads to corrosion as well as encrustation in the form of barnacles or algal growth.' UXOs may remain dormant for decades, but if disturbed—stepped on, struck, or moved—they could still detonate. Traditional sonar systems rely on recognizing shapes and materials underwater. But as corroded bombs lose their distinct appearance, they begin to blend into the seabed. The acoustic signals they return weaken or shift, increasing the chance of false negatives during surveys. To better understand how aged UXOs behave acoustically, Hodges and his team examined a series of AN-Mk 23 practice bombs—small-scale training bombs used during WWII. These particular munitions had been submerged in a brackish pond on Martha's Vineyard for over 80 years. The researchers compared the sonar response of these corroded, biofouled bombs with that of pristine ones. They measured how sound waves scattered off the bombs from various angles and directions, discovering that degradation significantly changes the object's acoustic resonance and returns a much weaker signal. 'Acoustic scattering techniques give an insight into the internal structure of the object imaged, as well as a method to 'see' into the seafloor,' said Hodges. As military sites are repurposed for civilian use, understanding how old munitions interact with sonar becomes increasingly vital. Hodges emphasizes the importance of UXO detection in environmental remediation and public safety: 'There is a risk of detonation if they are stepped on or otherwise disturbed,' he added. 'This poses a larger risk to human safety in shallow waters, and UXO identification and recovery becomes vital as old sites are transitioned away from military use.' Hodges plans to expand his work to include other types of munitions and explore different corrosion and encrustation scenarios. His research may ultimately contribute to more reliable models for sonar-based UXO detection—critical tools for military, environmental, and humanitarian operations. 'Underwater UXO can be tricky to find and recover, so it is important that this can be done safely and effectively,' said Hodges. 'We hope this work will ultimately help save lives.' Hodges will discuss this research on Monday, May 19, at 8 am CT as part of the joint 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and 25th International Congress on Acoustics.
Daily Tribune
05-04-2025
- General
- Daily Tribune
Cambodia's sniffer rat earns world record
A landmine-hunting rat in Cambodia has set a new world record by sniffing out more than 100 mines and pieces of unexploded ordnance, a charity said yesterday. Ronin, agiant African pouched rat, has tracked down 109 landmines and 15 other potentially deadly war remnants since his deployment to northern Preah Vihear province in August 2021, the Belgian charity APOPO said in a statement. Five-year-old Ronin has been named the most successful Mine Detection Rat (MDR) in the organisation's history. Ronin beat the previous record, held by hero rodent Magawa who found 71 landmines and 38 UXOs during his five-year service before retirement in 2021. Magawa, who was awarded a gold medal for heroism for clearing mines from about 225,000 square metres of land -- the equivalent of 42 football pitches -- died in 2022. Ronin may have two years or more of detection work ahead of him, APOPO said.
Sharjah 24
04-04-2025
- General
- Sharjah 24
Rat earns world record for sniffing landmines in Cambodia
Ronin, a giant African pouched rat, has successfully tracked down 109 landmines and 15 other potentially deadly remnants of war since his deployment to northern Preah Vihear province in August 2021, according to the Belgian charity APOPO. Record-breaking achievements At just five years old, Ronin has become the most successful Mine Detection Rat (MDR) in APOPO's history. His remarkable achievements earned him the Guinness World Records title for the most landmines detected by a rat, emphasizing the vital role of HeroRats in humanitarian demining efforts. Previous record holder Ronin surpassed the previous record held by Magawa, another hero rat, who discovered 71 landmines and 38 unexploded ordnance (UXOs) during his five-year service before retiring in 2021. Magawa was awarded a gold medal for heroism after clearing mines from approximately 225,000 square meters of land. Ongoing mission APOPO noted that Ronin may have two more years of detection work ahead of him. His handler, Phanny, expressed that Ronin is not just an asset but a valued partner and colleague. The humanitarian crisis in Cambodia Cambodia continues to be heavily affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance from decades of conflict dating back to the 1960s. Since the end of a civil war in 1998, the country has struggled with one of the highest rates of landmine casualties globally, with around 20,000 deaths recorded since 1979. Recent tragedies Tragically, two Cambodian toddlers were killed in February when a rocket-propelled grenade, believed to have been buried since the civil war, exploded near their homes in northwestern Siem Reap province. Challenges ahead Although Cambodia aimed to be mine-free by 2025, the government has postponed this goal by five years due to funding challenges and the discovery of new landmine fields along the Thai border.
Khaleej Times
03-04-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Shiny and deadly, unexploded munitions a threat to Gaza children
War has left Gaza littered with unexploded bombs that will take years to clear, with children drawn to metal casings maimed or even killed when they try to pick them up, a demining expert said. Nicholas Orr, a former UK military deminer, told AFP after a mission to the war-battered Palestinian territory that "we're losing two people a day to UXO (unexploded ordnance) at the moment." According to Orr, most of the casualties are children out of school desperate for something to do, searching through the rubble of bombed-out buildings sometimes for lack of better playthings. "They're bored, they're running around, they find something curious, they play with it, and that's the end," he said. Among the victims was 15-year-old Ahmed Azzam, who lost his leg to an explosive left in the rubble as he returned to his home in the southern city of Rafah after months of displacement. "We were inspecting the remains of our home and there was a suspicious object in the rubble," Azzam told AFP. "I didn't know it was explosive, but suddenly it detonated," he said, causing "severe wounds to both my legs, which led to the amputation of one of them." He was one of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returning home during a truce that brought short-lived calm to Gaza after more than 15 months of war, before Israel resumed its bombardment and military operations last month. For Azzam and other children, the return was marred by the dangers of leftover explosives. 'Attractive to kids' Demining expert Orr, who was in Gaza for charity Handicap International, said that while no one is safe from the threat posed by unexploded munitions, children are especially vulnerable. Some ordnance is like "gold to look at, so they're quite attractive to kids", he said. "You pick that up and that detonates. That's you and your family gone, and the rest of your building." Another common scenario involved people back from displacement, said Orr, giving an example of "a father of a family who's moved back to his home to reclaim his life, and finds that there's UXO in his garden". "So he tries to help himself and help his family by moving the UXO, and there's an accident." With fighting ongoing and humanitarian access limited, little data is available, but in January the UN Mine Action Service said that "between five and 10 per cent" of weapons fired into Gaza failed to detonate. It could take 14 years to make the coastal territory safe from unexploded bombs, the UN agency said. Alexandra Saieh, head of advocacy for Save The Children, said unexploded ordnance is a common sight in the Gaza Strip, where her charity operates. "When our teams go on field they see UXOs all the time. Gaza is littered with them," she said. 'Numbers game' For children who lose limbs from blasts, "the situation is catastrophic", said Saieh, because "child amputees require specialised long-term care... that's just not available in Gaza". In early March, just before the ceasefire collapsed, Israel blocked all aid from entering Gaza. That included prosthetics that could have helped avoid long-term mobility loss, Saieh said. Unexploded ordnance comes in various forms, Orr said. In Gaza's north, where ground battles raged for months, there are things like "mortars, grenades, and a lot of bullets". In Rafah, where air strikes were more intense than ground combat, "it's artillery projectiles, it's airdrop projectiles", which can often weigh dozens of kilograms, he added. Orr said he was unable to obtain permission to conduct bomb disposal in Gaza, as Israeli aerial surveillance could have mistaken him for a militant attempting to repurpose unexploded ordnance into weapons. He also said that while awareness-raising could help Gazans manage the threat, the message doesn't always travel fast enough. "People see each other moving it and think, 'Oh, they've done it, I can get away with it,'" Orr said, warning that it was difficult for a layperson to know which bombs might still explode, insisting it was not worth the risk. "You're just playing against the odds, it's a numbers game."
Asharq Al-Awsat
03-04-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Shiny and Deadly, Unexploded Munitions a Threat to Gaza Children
War has left Gaza littered with unexploded bombs that will take years to clear, with children drawn to metal casings maimed or even killed when they try to pick them up, a demining expert said. Nicholas Orr, a former UK military deminer, told AFP after a mission to the war-battered Palestinian territory that "we're losing two people a day to UXO (unexploded ordnance) at the moment." According to Orr, most of the casualties are children out of school desperate for something to do, searching through the rubble of bombed-out buildings sometimes for lack of better playthings. "They're bored, they're running around, they find something curious, they play with it, and that's the end," he said. Among the victims was 15-year-old Ahmed Azzam, who lost his leg to an explosive left in the rubble as he returned to his home in the southern city of Rafah after months of displacement. "We were inspecting the remains of our home and there was a suspicious object in the rubble," Azzam told AFP. "I didn't know it was explosive, but suddenly it detonated," he said, causing "severe wounds to both my legs, which led to the amputation of one of them." He was one of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returning home during a truce that brought short-lived calm to Gaza after more than 15 months of war, before Israel resumed its bombardment and military operations last month. For Azzam and other children, the return was marred by the dangers of leftover explosives. 'Attractive to kids' Demining expert Orr, who was in Gaza for charity Handicap International, said that while no one is safe from the threat posed by unexploded munitions, children are especially vulnerable. Some ordnance is like "gold to look at, so they're quite attractive to kids", he said. "You pick that up and that detonates. That's you and your family gone, and the rest of your building." Another common scenario involved people back from displacement, said Orr, giving an example of "a father of a family who's moved back to his home to reclaim his life, and finds that there's UXO in his garden". "So he tries to help himself and help his family by moving the UXO, and there's an accident." With fighting ongoing and humanitarian access limited, little data is available, but in January the UN Mine Action Service said that "between five and 10 percent" of weapons fired into Gaza failed to detonate. It could take 14 years to make the coastal territory safe from unexploded bombs, the UN agency said. Alexandra Saieh, head of advocacy for Save The Children, said unexploded ordnance is a common sight in the Gaza Strip, where her charity operates. "When our teams go on field they see UXOs all the time. Gaza is littered with them," she said. 'Numbers game' For children who lose limbs from blasts, "the situation is catastrophic", said Saieh, because "child amputees require specialized long-term care... that's just not available in Gaza". In early March, just before the ceasefire collapsed, Israel blocked all aid from entering Gaza. That included prosthetics that could have helped avoid long-term mobility loss, Saieh said. Unexploded ordnance comes in various forms, Orr said. In Gaza's north, where ground battles raged for months, there are things like "mortars, grenades, and a lot of bullets". In Rafah, where air strikes were more intense than ground combat, "it's artillery projectiles, it's airdrop projectiles", which can often weigh dozens of kilograms, he added. Orr said he was unable to obtain permission to conduct bomb disposal in Gaza, as Israeli aerial surveillance could have mistaken him for a militant attempting to repurpose unexploded ordnance into weapons. He also said that while awareness-raising could help Gazans manage the threat, the message doesn't always travel fast enough. "People see each other moving it and think, 'Oh, they've done it, I can get away with it,'" Orr said, warning that it was difficult for a layperson to know which bombs might still explode, insisting it was not worth the risk. "You're just playing against the odds, it's a numbers game."
