PUNE: In a first, the High Explosive Factory ( HEF ) will soon send Trinitrotoluene (TNT) and Dinitrotoluene (DNT) explosive powder in several tonnes to the US.

Ajay Kumar, secretary of defence production, told TOI on Friday over the phone, “This is a positive development for the Ordnance Factory Board. We have always wanted to increase exports in the defence sector.”

These powders are used for manufacturing mortar bombs of the artillery and other bombs too.

“The delegations from the United Sattes had visited the factory recently. The deal was inked after they saw the production units and infrastructure. The work order was received in January. In the first phase, around five tonnes of TNT powder will be supplied to the US, while negotiation on DNT is underway,” a senior official, who did not wish to be named, told TOI.

This work order, the official said, is a boost for the factory. “The order from the US will be completed in the stipulated time. This will help us in projecting our achievements on the global platform. We can increase our export in the coming years,” the official further added.

Earlier, Kumar had told TOI that the government was in the process of modernizing ordnance factories to enhance their production capabilities.

