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COMMON NAME – Semtex H (Semtex 1H)

TYPE – High explosive mixture

DATE FIRST USED AS AN EXPLOSIVE – 1967

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Czechoslovakia

COMPOSITION – Explosive base (85% of final product) – 50.2% RDX, 49.8% PETN, Plasticizer base (15% of final product) – Styrene-butadiene rubber (Binder), n-octyl Phthalate Butyl Citrate (Plasticizer), N-phenyl-2-naphthalamine (Antioxidant) 0.7%Sudan I (Dye)

DENSITY – 1.43 g per ml

NORMAL STATE – Malleable solid

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE/COLOR – Yellow (post-1991)

INITIATION – No. 8 Blasting cap consisting of 2.0 g of 80% Mercury fulminate and 20% Potassium Chlorate or equivalent

SENSITIVITY – Insensitive to heat, shock, or friction

STABILITY – Stable, minimum 20 year shelf life when properly stored at between -10 to 40^o C. (14 to 104^o F.)

DETONATION VELOCITY – 7,400 m/s (24,278 fps)

RE FACTOR (BRISANCE) [TNT=1.0] – 1.33

TOXICITY – Toxic if ingested or inhaled, can cause a slow heartbeat and lower blood pressure

IGNITION POINT – 150^o C.(302^o F.) Flashes

SOLUBILITY – Insoluble in water

APPLICATIONS – PRINCIPLE USES – Flexible, malleable plastic explosive for demolition, underwater blasting

     The initial creation of Semtex explosive was reported to have been done by a request from the North Vietnamese government to Czechoslovakia. The NVA wanted an explosive roughly equal to American C-4 with the same plastic properties. The Semtex H mixture, with nearly equal amounts of RDX and PETN in the mixture, is the closest to the original formulation of the material. The addition of Sudan I dye to the mixture gives Semtex H the distinctive yellow coloration that helps to visually identify the material.

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