The Army Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) announced last month the safe destruction of the last VX nerve agent-filled spray tank in the U.S. chemical stockpile.
The U.S. military never used the VX spray tanks, or any other chemical weapons, in combat.
The last of the stockpiled spray tanks were destroyed Dec. 24 at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) in Umatilla, Ore.
Spray tank disposal operations first began at the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (TOCDF) on July 23, 2004. Of the 1,018 original stockpile spray tanks, TOCDF disposed of 862 tanks. UMCDF began to safely destroy the lat 156 spray tanks stored at Umatilla Chemical Depot Nov. 23, 2007.
CMA’s Acting Director, Dale Ormond said, “In June 2006, the last sarin-filled MC1 bomb in the U.S. stockpile was destroyed. The elimination of yet another deadly weapon, the VX TMU-28 spray tank, from the stockpile demonstrates the Army’s commitment to ridding the country of chemical weapons; and doing it safely and efficiently.”
Conrad Whyne, CMA Deputy Director added, ” This is a major accomplishment and an important milestone for CMA and for the country.”
The TMU-28 VX nerve agent spray tanks were bulk agent containers designed to distribute the liquid agent in an aerosol form–as a fog or mist–from an aircraft onto battlefields, the service said. They were constructed with four major components: the agent container, aircraft suspension system, tailcone section and dissemination nozzle. Each tank could hold up to 160 gallons of VX nerve agent.