Two people were hospitalized after an incident at a research center at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
“Two people were injured today in an incident that occurred around 2:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. Bulgarian time). They were taken to the hospital,“ the base said in a statement.
It is noted that the damage is limited to the explosives research center. No further details were provided.
The Eglin Air Force Base in Florida is home to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Munitions Directorate. This is the main and most important center in the United States for research, development, testing and deployment of all conventional (non-nuclear) weapons and munitions delivered by air.
The center develops smart munitions that can operate completely autonomously. They work with high accuracy in all weather conditions, day and night. The laboratory in Eglin created and successfully demonstrated the QUICKSINK technology. It is a low-cost method for modifying ordinary bombs into precision weapons capable of sinking large moving ships from the air.
The base is home to the state-of-the-art Advanced Munitions Technology Complex. It is designed to develop the next generation of weapons technologies and explosives. The McKinley Climatic Laboratory is one of the most famous facilities at Eglin. It is a huge hangar in which entire strategic bombers and fighters can be tested. The machines are subjected to extreme simulated conditions - from arctic cold (down to -55°C) to tropical heat and sandstorms.
The High Explosives Research Center (HERD) is a specialized section for the development of new types of high-yield explosives. The center in Eglin works closely with the University of Florida through the specialized base UF REEF (Research and Engineering Education Facility). It is home to the Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory, where civilian and military scientists jointly test drones, robotic ground systems and artificial intelligence for navigation.