MACE used to defuse 500-pound bomb in the Netherlands

On October 7, 2005 the eyes of the world’s bomb technicians focused on Amsterdam where workers discovered a World War II vintage, British 500-pound bomb. The bomb was located next to the N205 highway, close to Vijfhuizen and only 4 km from the main Amsterdam airport, Schiphol.

The Landmacht, responsible for Dutch EOD operations, was hastily dispatched. Experts stated that the bomb was very dangerous and that this type of bomb has never been defused before anywhere in the world. The bomb was not in a settled position and was possibly armed. The fully fused bomb was deemed too sensitive to vibration and therefore, could not be transported for a controlled explosion. Many of the main power and water lines to all of Schiphol airport were buried only 8 meters under the bomb, eliminating the possibility of an in-place detonation.

The Dutch team determined that the bomb was armed with a long delay fuse with a removal lockout. The ignition mechanism on this type fuse is activated chemically when an acid is released. Realizing that the bomb could explode any time, the Landmacht spontaneously decided to use the MACE, which had been delivered by ANT AG in November 2004.

The residents of five houses located very near the bomb were moved to a hotel and the police also evacuated the other nearby residents to a safe distance. A barrier wall was formed using 180 containers to reduce the blast wave in the direction of Zwanenburg in case of an explosion and the N205 was partially closed to avoid unnecessary traffic vibrations.

Operations at Schiphol airport were seriously impacted forcing thousands of passengers to spend the night at the airport. Many flights were cancelled as the runway nearest to the bomb had to be closed and misty conditions that day further hampered air traffic at the airport. KLM quickly organised 900 hotel rooms, but the remaining stranded travellers had to sleep in camp beds.

MACE assembly at the site		Adjustment of nozzle holder
The cut starts		The water pressure slightly shuffles the fuse out of the bomb
Pulling the long delay fuse with the manipulator

The disposal operation began with the water jet accurately cutting the long delay fuse. The water pressure shuffled the fuse and loosened it just enough to be pulled out completely with the manipulator.

Afterwards, the 50 cm long delay fuse No. 17 is separated from the primer to avoid any transport risk on its way to recycling. At 7:45 pm the remaining high explosive was detonated at Toolenburgplas where it had been transported for safe disposal. Hundreds of spectators witnessed the detonation from a safe distance and reported that just a dull blow accompanied by a sand cloud could be heard from the detonation.

The Landmacht later confirmed that cutting off the fuse was the only safe possibility for defusing and removing the bomb. Once more, water jet cutting technology and the ANT system proved themselves invaluable to the dangerous mission of bomb technicians.

Long delay fuse No. 17 with primer		Fuse separated from the primer