In 1967, during the Vietnam War, the United States' Military Assistance and Command in Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) launched a top secret operation to plant sabotaged ammunition in captured Viet Cong supply caches and abandon them. Under the command of Colonel John Singluab, SOG technicians replaced a single live round from each ammunition case with one packed with high explosives. The explosive rounds were indistinguishable from ordinary rounds, even when disassembled due to the explosive pellets being shaped like smokeless powder flakes. When fired, they would blow the gun barrel apart like a pipe bomb, sending shrapnel into the shooter and people around him. Over 11,000 7.62mm rounds, 500 12.7mm rounds, and 2000 82mm mortar shells were sabotaged and put back into circulation in the North Vietnamese Army.

In addition to the psychological element of having their guns randomly explode, documents were forged and planted which blamed the NVA's Chinese suppliers for poor quality control in ammunition and rifles, making the Vietnamese highly suspect of China. US troops were warned not to use captured AK-47s because of alleged faulty Chinese metallurgy. However, the operation's cover was blown in 1969 when details were leaked to news publications, revealing the true cause of the weapon failures. This did not stop the operation, however, as the Vietnamese were now fearful of their tainted ammunition supplies regardless of the true culprit.


300 years later, in the world of Fallout, Caesar's Legion discovered the declassified documents about Project Eldest Son, and sought to copy them by planting similar explosive rounds in captured NCR supplies. Thanks to Sgt. Daniel Contreras at Camp McCarran stealing NCR supplies to sell, the Mojave Wasteland has now been overrun by tainted explosive ammunition supplies. All military ammo types now have a slight chance to explode, especially surplus ammo.