At the request of the “Communauté d’agglomération du Pays de Laon” (a group of 38 Northern French municipalities), Geomines teams carried out a mission on a former airbase, located near Couvron, in the Aisne department in Picardy, in Northern France.
The Laon-Couvron area was bombed about 15 times during the Second World War, both by the Germans and by Allied forces, rendering very likely the presence of aviation bombs in the ground.
This former airbase, fully decommissioned, is now intended for civilian use and should soon host a motor racing circuit. In this context, ascertaining the absence of pyrotechnic risks is a prerequisite for carrying out the planned development works.
The pyrotechnic diagnosis operations covered an area of 72.551 sqm, with a depth of 0.50 m. During the operations, Geomines teams discovered a 100-pound aviation bomb.
After the ammunition was secured, the Civil Security Demining Service ensured it safe removal. The intervention of the Geomines teams contributed to ensuring the safety of the site.