Meet IS 19445:2025, India's 1st standard for bomb disposal systems
What's the story
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued a new standard, IS 19445:2025, for bomb disposal systems. The move comes as part of efforts to strengthen the country's security infrastructure and offer manufacturers with clear performance benchmarks. The standard was developed at the request of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory.
Standard adoption
IS 19445:2025 aims to enhance evaluation practices
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare has said that the new standard is meant for "voluntary adoption" by procurement agencies, manufacturers, and also testing bodies. The aim of this move is to bring uniformity in evaluation practices, promote quality-driven manufacturing, and boost confidence in bomb disposal systems used in critical security operations. The standard also lays down requirements for test equipment, range conditions, and evaluation procedures.
Security preparedness
Need for an Indian standard in bomb disposal
The Consumer Affairs Ministry has said that the need for an Indian standard arose because existing international standards are either restricted in access, or not fully aligned with the threat profiles/operational conditions faced by Indian forces. This is especially important as the Indian armed forces, central armed police forces, state police, and civilian agencies face threats from unexploded bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and hand grenades.
System classification
Three categories of bomb disposal systems
To mitigate these risks, three categories of bomb disposal systems are commonly deployed: bomb blankets, bomb baskets, and bomb inhibitors. Although several public and private agencies manufacture such systems in India, their safe deployment requires rigorous and standardized performance evaluation. The new standard serves as a reference for the test sponsors, manufacturers, and accredited testing agencies by defining test methodologies to verify compliance with performance benchmarks.