Unexploded ordnance

Unexploded ordnance is ammunition that was fired, dropped, or placed but failed to detonate as intended. It can remain armed and dangerous long after a conflict ends.

Fuze: A device that initiates a munition’s detonation or other intended function. A fuze failure or delayed action can leave a munition unexploded.
Munition: A complete device that carries or delivers an explosive, chemical, or other payload. Unexploded ordnance is a hazardous state of a munition.
Humanitarian demining: Survey and clearance work that reduces explosive hazards for civilian safety and land use. It tackles unexploded ordnance that threatens communities after conflict.
Convention on Cluster Munitions: A 2008 treaty prohibiting cluster munitions and requiring victim assistance and clearance of contaminated areas for its parties. It imposes clearance duties where unexploded submunitions remain.
Explosive train: The sequence of energetic components that transfers initiation from a trigger to a munition’s main charge. A break anywhere in this sequence can prevent detonation.
Unexploded bomb: An aerial bomb that failed to detonate after being dropped or released. It is one familiar type of unexploded ordnance.
Battle area clearance: The systematic survey and clearance of explosive ordnance from a defined area. It addresses contamination from unexploded munitions beyond mined locations.
Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War: A protocol to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons addressing explosive remnants of war after conflicts. It sets post-conflict responsibilities relevant to unexploded ordnance.
Insensitive munitions: Munitions designed to resist unintended initiation under specified accidental stimuli. Their design goal addresses the accidental-explosion risk that unexploded ordnance can retain.
Unexploded artillery shell: An artillery projectile that failed to detonate after firing. It is a common form of unexploded ordnance on former battlefields.

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