 In 1983, a program of military research was launched with collaboration between the Spanish Ministry of Defence (Directorate General of Armament and Material, DGAM), Explosives Alaveses (EXPAL) and Explosives Rio Tinto (ERT) with the goal of developing a Spanish version of a thermobaric bomb, the BEAC ("Bomba Explosiva de Aire-Combustible").A prototype was tested successfully in a foreign location out of safety and confidentiality concerns.The Spanish Air Force has an undetermined number of BEACs in its inventory.