A team of S+T experts visited Bosnia and Herzegovina on behalf of Swissint from 28-31 March 2017 to advise the OSCE organisation on processes relating to ammunition surveillance and infrastructure. The first visit had taken place in 2014, when initial facts were gathered and proposals made. This year, the delegation pursued the following goals: evaluate ammunition surveillance processes and obtain more information on the various types of propellants used, and find a suitable building to serve as a laboratory for analysing propellant powder. Whether a local laboratory will be set up has not yet been definitively decided. The advantages are obvious: firstly, this would enable expertise with regard to evaluating munitions to be maintained, built up and supported in the country. At the same time it would be dangerous to transport ammunition that have not been evaluated over long distances. It also makes sense to have an analysis facility in the area. The work was carried out by a team of experts from Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Norway and Sweden. S+T supported similar efforts aimed at successful demilitarisation a few years ago in Albania and Jordan. The experience and skills acquired at the time proved very valuable and will be applied in this project.

NATO demilitarisation project

When it comes to demilitarisation, environment-friendly processes play a major role. Decades of experience have made Switzerland a leader in the field. A NATO project is now set to benefit from this expertise when it is employed in an area of Serbia.

When a peat bog becomes a safety risk

In anticipation of its environmental restoration, a peat bog in the Bernese Jura has been recently examined for any remains of firing activity carried out there in the past. Before the environmental restoration project can take place, the area needs to be cleared, and experts are analysing and assessing the extent of the work involved.

Efficient munitions monitoring and international quality control

Munition items suffer wear and tear. Therefore they need to be inspected regularly to ensure they are still fit for purpose. Aging of munitions/explosives can impair their reliability. International ringtests in which measurements were performed for quality assurance purposes have confirmed conformity with the international standard at all times.

Du 12 au 16 octobre, S+T a procédé à des tests de recherches dans le lac de Constance, sur mandat du service de déminage du Land de Bade-Wurtemberg. Le but de l'exercice était la recherche de bombes non explosées datant de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Il s'agit d'un excellent exemple de la collaboration transfrontalière entre l'Allemagne et la Suisse dans le domaine de la protection des eaux.

The air force firing range on Lake Neuchâtel has been used for over 80 years. Recovering and defusing unexploded munitions from the lake is a highly specialized task. In the first week of August this year a team of experts – including staff from S+T's Explosives and Ammunition Surveillance competence sector – helped to successfully salvage eight "bombs", which were subsequently removed for safe disposal.

One of the tasks entrusted to the Science and Technology competence area (S+T) is to ensure that Swiss munitions are safe and fit for purpose. S+T carries out component tests so that it can issue reliable statements regarding the condition of the munitions without having to test complete systems. For complex systems such as intelligent munitions or guided missiles in particular, component tests make it possible to cut back on live firing tests and hence save costs without lowering safety standards.