O-026 Analysing Potential Threats and Hazards to Military Munitions Using THAMES (Version 2.0)

During the possible life cycle of a munition, it is likely that it will encounter a range of threats and hazards associated with natural environments and induced environments. In addition during the stages from manufacture through use to its final disposal, the munition must also satisfy safety concerns and in its combat and tactical use meet the Insensitive Munition requirement goals specified in the IM STANAG 4439.

To analyse these potential threats and hazards, NIMIC has devised THAMES (Threat Hazard Assessment MEthodology Software). The methodology involves a logic tree approach which divides the life cycle of the munition into 3 major branches: the logistic phase (manufacture to pacetime storage and open storage to operational theatre, the tactical phase (deployment and use) and the disposal phase. Sub-branches of these respective branches cover modes of transportation and types of deployment on Sea, Land and Air weapon platforms that any munition is likely to encounter. From these different scenarios potential threats/hazards are qualitatively identified from perceived normal and abnormal environments including accident and combat stimuli. The software programme has been designed to highlight the stimulus level and to indicate where the characteristics of duration or likelihood of occurrence of that stimulus should be determined from other sources. Using a DEFAULT SCENARIO which identifies IM concerns as a basis, THAMES provides the user with the following mechanisms and capabilities of analysing potential threats to all types of military munitions:

• Justifications for considering relevant threats for both partxular scenarios and types of weapons and explanations on all hazard environments.
• Identification of associated tests, test procedures, test configurations and test severities to evaluate the above threats and hazards.
• The IM requirement goals or safety acceptance criteria along with the provision of instructional notes necessary to support the analysis of specific threats and hazards.
• The means within the software to modify the logic tree or list of threats, or add extra threats to the system to reflect the demands of the user when conducting a threat hazard assessment.