Close Quarters Explosive (CQE)

Breaching charges used today produce a maximum blast pressure wave that punches a hole in the surface being breached. This overpressure creates hazards for both the breacher placing the charge and for personnel on both sides of the wall. Additionally, shaped charges based on the use of a primer-detonation cord combination are currently used but their emplacement time and reduced blast efficiency limits its application. The goal of the Close Quarter Explosive (CQE) is to develop systems that minimize the overpressure while maximizing the breaching efficiency. An additional goal is to accomplish the needed breach with as lightweight an explosive charge as possible. Technical approaches to meeting these goals include: explosives with embedded high density microparticles that improve efficiency of coupling the blast energy to the material being breached; and improved explosive ignition technology that improves the efficiency of the blasting material by enabling simultaneous ignition.