IMX-101 is a high-performance
insensitive high explosive composite mixture developed by
BAE Systems and the
United States Army to replace
TNT in artillery shells, starting as soon as 2011. IMX stands for "Insensitive
Munitions eXplosives", which refers to the purpose of IMX-101: to provide explosive force equivalent to TNT without
its sensitivity to
shocks such as gunfire, explosions from
improvised explosive devices, fire, and shrapnel. For example, it is believed that a training incident in Nevada which killed seven Marines would not have occurred with the new explosive. On March 23, 2013, the
United States Army ordered $780 million worth of the explosive, with a production of millions of pounds annually, to be produced by BAE at
Holston Army Ammunition Plant in
Tennessee. The new explosive will cost $8 per pound, compared to $6 per pound for TNT.