Foundations
What is unexploded ordnance?
UXO is explosive ordnance that has been fired, dropped, launched, or otherwise deployed but did not function as intended and remains hazardous.
One part of a wider problem.
- UXO
- Explosive ordnance that was used or prepared for use but did not explode as intended.
- AXO
- Abandoned explosive ordnance: items left behind or dumped and no longer under the control of the party that left them.
- ERW
- Explosive remnants of war, a term used in international law primarily for UXO and AXO.
- EO
- Explosive ordnance, a broader mine-action term that can include mines, cluster munitions, UXO, AXO, booby traps, and other explosive devices.
These categories overlap in public discussion but are not interchangeable. UXO.ECO uses the terms as precisely as the available source allows.
Whatever the category, do not touch, move, investigate, or attempt to make an item safe. Leave the area when possible and report it through appropriate local channels.
This site provides general awareness information only. Follow local authority and specialist advice in an actual situation.
Read further
Use primary references.
The ICRC explains UXO and other explosive remnants of war in plain language, while the legal framework for recording, warnings, risk education, marking, and clearance is set out in Protocol V to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Sources & resources