A new class of blast: DBX 1 compound pushing Army towards cleaner, smarter firepower

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Engineers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center researchers say a new explosive initiator could remove environmental and safety risks from the supply chain.

DBX-1, full name copper (I) 5-nitrotetrazolate, provides the U.S. Military with an alternative to lead azide, used for decades because of its military reliability despite known risks to human health due to its volatility and toxic composition. DBX-1 maintains a lower toxicity than its legacy counterpart, is more efficient to manufacture and transport and supports a modernized supply chain with no compromise to weapon production or reliability.

As a copper-based compound, DBX-1 eliminates exposure risk to lead while handling, and at the same time opens an avenue towards automation. Instead of a dry powder, DBX-1 is prepared as a wet slurry and is dispensed into initiators via automated equipment, ensuring no dry handling and significantly reducing worker contact with sensitive primary explosives.

Lead azide has been a ubiquitous compound in explosives for decades, mostly used as the initiator in an explosive train, found at the heart of most armaments. Initiators are the first materials in the train, converting a trigger into a reliable detonation that sets off the rest of the sequence.

Lead azide and similar compounds like lead styphnate work well as initiators, but they come with significant caveats – lead is highly toxic, and due to supply chain disruptions and a limited domestic manufacturer base, warfighters must rely on aged stockpiles and single source suppliers for initiation and ignition. Lead azide, according to the National Institute of Health, produces toxic fumes when set alight, and is highly sensitive to heat, friction and impact when dry.

However, as these compounds are highly effective in the field, interests in finding alternatives have historically been muted. Lead azide only requires a small stimulus to trigger a large blast and does so consistently.

According to Senior Lead Chemical Engineer Neha Mehta, the DBX-1 project started from a desire to find a drop-in replacement to lead azide and similar compounds, which evolved into the pursuit of an azide alternative over time. The Primary Explosives and Detonator Lab Team encountered DBX-1 while at a primary explosive workshop, being presented by Pacific Scientific, said Mehta. The team was captivated by promises of lower toxicity, safer handling and strong energetic output, and several years of rigorous testing have thoroughly validated those beliefs.

“We did a lot of in‑house testing, and aside from a couple small confusions, we had zero no‑go’s. We’re always optimizing, always looking for how to make things better. Our goal has never been to change the hardware; we work with what already exists,” she explained.

DBX‑1 is fully sourced and produced within the United States, thus strengthening availability, providing a manufacturing base at home and mitigating supply disruption. Testing is ongoing in different applications, but so far, the compound has performed well across detonators, some primers, and fuze configurations, including anti-personnel obstacle breaching systems and grenade and artillery fuzes. It has also proved reliability across the Army’s smallest commonly used stab detonator (M55) and its largest (C70).

“If we can prove it in the smallest detonator and the largest detonator, everything in between will work, and that’s exactly what we’ve shown,” noted Mehta.

The team has already exhibited DBX‑1 as an alternative to lead azide and lead styphnate by completing the full fuze qualification test matrix for an artillery fuze, funded by the Safer Alternative for Readiness – Airborne Lead Reduction (SAFR ALR) and the Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems. They also proved DBX‑1’s suitability for grenade fuzes, successfully finishing the full performance tests and mini‑arena evaluation of complete grenades equipped with a toxic‑free delay, lead‑free primer and lead‑free detonator, funded by Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP).

The program has conducted extensive test series across numerous electric blasting‑cap configurations using the Army Remote Activation Munitions System and has met all its operational requirements. DBX-1 has also cleared qualification for tactical breaching initiators and point-detonating artillery fuzing systems.

According to lead mechanical engineering technicians Jason Semanek and John Marin, DBX-1 required not only laboratory success but also demonstrating manufacturability. Rocky Mountain Scientific Laboratory, based in Colorado with a growing facility in Texas, is positioned to manufacture DBX‑1. Innovative Materials and Processes in South Dakota, under Army contract, is developing the automated slurry‑loading process, while Action Manufacturing in Pennsylvania assisted in optimizing precursor synthesis, providing a significant boost to American manufacturing.

Additionally, both the DBX-1 manufacturing process and its automated loading equipment are being designed to operate inside transportable Conex containers. This means no need for dedicated permanent buildings, streamlines site approvals and reduces transportation risks, along with further simplifying stockpiling logistics. DBX-1 had its pre-pilot testing finished in 2025 and its full-scale pilot plant should be ready by the end of 2027 or early 2028, where it will be produced on-demand.

Mehta stated that funding for DBX-1 has been inconsistent, thus complicating the testing required to validate it across dozens of munition systems. She gave thanks to the SAFR program for giving the team financial support continuously, to the ESTCP, Army ManTech, the OSW’s Manufacturing Science and Technology Program and project managers for support and to the rest of her team for its dedication in helping ensure project success.

Despite its lengthy timeline, the team expressed pride and excitement over the program’s progress, noting that a few outside organizations have shown interest in DBX-1, particularly in mining. For the engineers, seeing DBX‑1 move toward full qualification and adoption feels like guiding a long-developed project into maturity, one they hope will be fully integrated across military systems within the near future.

“It’s like a child - slow progress, lots of work and now it’s finally ready to go out into the world,” quipped Marin.

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