The job of ordnance disposal technicians is rapidly changing. After decades of handling prevasive ground-level threats of improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and Iraq, disposal techs are reinventing their jobs for a new threat: drones with explosives. As they adjust, they are adding drones to their own arsenals for dealing with explosives.
Over the last two decades, Army ordnance disposal technicians were tasked with rendering more than 100,000 improvised explosive devices “safe” in Iraq and Afghanistan. But as the face of warfare changes, the threat of one-way attack unmanned aerial systems and drones strapped with munitions and explosives are becoming a topic that ordnance disposal technicians are being increasingly trained on.
Read more…
Source: Task & Purpose
Related:
- Pakistan: Police constable injured in attack on checkpoint in Dera Ismail Khan
March 15, 2026
Unidentified armed militants attacked the Khutti police checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district late on Saturday night, triggering an exchange of fire with security personnel, police officials said. During the exchange, one police constable sustained injuries. Officials said the militants managed to flee from the scene following the retaliatory action by the police. Police ...
- New York: Detective carries on dad’s NYPD Bomb Squad legacy at Gracie Mansion attack
March 14, 2026
Bomb Squad Detective Sean Mulcahy was carrying on his dad’s legacy when he responded to the homemade bomb attack by two Islamist fanatics at Gracie Mansion. Mulcahy, 51, was driving to work in Manhattan Saturday when he saw cops flying up the West Side Highway in a Bomb Squad truck and wondered what job they were ...
- New York: Class teaching first responders how to defuse deadly IEDs
March 14, 2026
In a stunning case of bad timing, a federal Office for Bombing Prevention class for first responders on deadly IEDs has been scrubbed due to the government shutdown — just days after a pair of Islamic extremists hurled homemade bombs outside Gracie Mansion. The online class, set for this month, deals with the “function, components, classifications, ...
- Nigeria: Army reopens Imo road shut for three years, destroys explosives factory
March 12, 2026
Troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation UDO KA have reopened a major road closed for over three years due to persistent threats and attacks by IPOB/ESN militants during clearance operations in Imo State. The Army also said it uncovered an improvised explosive device factory. The development was disclosed in a statement released on Thursday by ...
- UK: RAF Lossiemouth bomb scare ends after ‘controlled explosion’
March 12, 2026
An incident involving a “suspicious package” at RAF Lossiemouth has ended. The Explosive Ordnance Disposal team which attended conducted a controlled explosion revealing the package contained nothing of concern. The areas which had been cordoned off are now re-opening, and people are returning to previously evacuated buildings. Police Scotland confirmed roadblocks in the area had been ...
- UK: Pitsea man charged after small device discovered in warrant
March 12, 2026
A man has been charged and will appear in court after proactive investigative work led officers to execute a warrant at an address in Pitsea. Officers conducted a planned search at a property in Rokescroft following intelligence about the possible possession of combustible materials. During the warrant on Tuesday 10 March, a man was arrested and ...
- Kuwait: National Guard safely destroys drone warhead found in fuel tank
March 11, 2026
The Kuwait National Guard announced the successful extraction and destruction of remnants of a drone warhead that had fallen into a fuel storage tank. In a statement issued Wednesday evening the official spokesman of the National Guard, Brig. Dr. Jadaan Fadel Jadaan, said that personnel from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit of the Engineering Battalion ...
- Hong Kong: Police deal with hand grenade found in Happy Valley
March 11, 2026
A police bomb disposal team safely dealt with a suspected grenade found in Happy Valley on Wednesday. Officers said they were called at around 1.40pm over the discovery on a slope along Stubbs Road. The device, which was said to be around the size of a lemon, was believed to be a British hand grenade. The ...
- California: Homemade explosives found in probationer’s car near sheriff’s office in Placer County
March 11, 2026
Authorities arrested a probationer after investigators discovered homemade fireworks and explosive devices inside his vehicle parked near the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. According to the sheriff’s office, just after 2 p.m. Feb. 4, the Placer County Probation Department contacted the sheriff’s office about a probationer suspected of possessing illegal fireworks. PCSO stated that its members of ...
- Germany: Dresden to evacuate 18,000 people after discovery of WWII bomb
March 10, 2026
Around 18,000 people must evacuate an area of central Dresden by 9 am (0800 GMT) on Wednesday after a World War II bomb was discovered near a city, police said on Tuesday. The fire brigade said two suspicious objects were found on the banks of the Elbe river near the Carola Bridge. Investigators later confirmed that ...
- New York: ‘Suspicious device’ found in vehicle in Manhattan tied to NYC protest investigation
March 10, 2026
The NYPD found a “suspicious device” in a vehicle in Manhattan on Sunday, March 8, that officials said is connected to their investigation into improvised explosive devices thrown into the crowd at protests outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday. Why you should care: The NYPD announced the discovery around 4:30 p.m. Sunday. “The NYPD has identified a ...
- Belgium: Bomb disposal unit begins removal of WWII sea mines off the coast of Wenduine
March 10, 2026
Off the coast of Wenduine, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Destruction Service (DOVO) and grid operator Elia Group have begun the safe removal of twelve German sea mines dating from the Second World War. The mines lie on the seabed along the planned cable route that will carry green electricity from the Princess Elisabeth energy island ...
- Become the capability: Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit
March 9, 2026
The Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit (CJIRU) is a highly specialized unit within Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM). It provides critical counter-Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) and full-spectrum exploitation effects for the Government of Canada (GC) by collecting, extracting and analyzing materials to identify threat origins and relationships. In Canada, the unit works closely ...
- UK: Bomb squad carried out controlled explosion after ‘explosive device’ from WW2 found
March 9, 2026
The bomb squad were called out to a village in Rossendale following reports that an ‘explosive device’ had been found in a garage. Members of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) attended the premises on the bridle path off Blackwood Road, Stacksteads. Lancashire Police said the call came in at 1.28pm on Saturday (March 7) after the ...
- Bangladesh: 6 crude bombs recovered near judges’ entrance of Supreme Court
March 8, 2026
Six crude bombs (cocktails) have been recovered from beside the main entrance used by judges at the Supreme Court in the capital, Dhaka. The bombs were recovered today, Sunday, around 1:30 pm. Police said six unexploded black-coloured crude bombs were found lying on the right side of the judges’ main entrance gate. The bomb disposal unit ...
- Massachusetts: 104th Fighter Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal team conducts monthly detonation training
March 8, 2026
BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass.– The Civil Engineering Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight with the 104th Fighter Wing conducted their monthly training detonations March 8, 2026, to ensure the flight’s training and unit readiness. The 104th EOD Flight maintained their readiness to handle emergencies through conducting monthly detonations and are trained on a variety of ...
- Ohio: Man sentenced for taking explosive device to area sports complex
March 4, 2026
James River Phillips, 21, was sentenced to three years of probation for illegally transporting explosive materials. As previously reported by News Center 7, Phillips was arrested by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force after investigations in Mason, Oxford, and Liberty Township. Federal court documents indicate that Lebanon police discovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) around 12:30 ...
- Greece: Army Βomb Squad Neutralise Unexploded Shell
March 4, 2026
Authorities neutralised an unexploded shell discovered during construction works in Nea Kallikratia, in the region of Halkidiki, following a large-scale security operation. The alarm sounded shortly after 12:30 on Tuesday (3/3), when a construction crew uncovered a shell and a helmet while carrying out building works on a plot within the urban area. Workers immediately alerted ...
- Ukraine: Demining Units Clear 767 Hectares in February 2026
March 4, 2026
During February 2026, the demining units of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine cleared 767 hectares of liberated territories from explosive remnants of war. According to the press service of the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety, this message came through the official Telegram channel. In particular, safety was restored on 743.49 ...
- India: Delhi Police To Equip Bomb Squads With Tactical Ballistic Shields For Enhanced Protection
March 3, 2026
The Delhi Police is preparing to equip its bomb disposal squads and bomb detection teams with Tactical Ballistic Shields (TBS), a specialised protective gear designed to reduce injuries during explosive threats and handling operations. According to officials, 24 shields have already been supplied and are currently undergoing testing. Once cleared under standards prescribed by the Bureau ...
- Nepal: Army disposes of suspicious object in Rautahat
March 3, 2026
A bomb disposal squad of the Nepali Army disposed of a suspicious item found on the Rajpaida‑Thalahitole road on Tuesday morning. The item, discovered inside a sack about 200 metres south of a school in Rajpaida, caused panic among locals. The area had been cordoned off overnight by joint security forces. The army’s bomb disposal team ...
- Vietnam: 350kg bomb found during house foundation work safely destroyed in Nghe An
March 1, 2026
A 350-kilogram bomb discovered during house foundation work in central Nghe An province has been safely destroyed, the Engineering Unit under the Nghe An Provincial Military Command said on March 1. The bomb was found on February 23 while a family was digging foundations for a new house in Hamlet 12, Quynh Lam area, Quynh Son ...

