In order to explore the detonation law of α-AlH₃ in condensed phase explosive， the safety features of α-AlH₃ were characterized. The results indicated that α-AlH₃ had poor thermal stability due to its sensitivity to temperature and humidity. The operational condition for α-AlH₃ samples should not exceed 30 ℃ RT and 60% RH. HMX was selected as the main high explosive to develop a formulation containing α-AlH₃ with a self-designed technology namely direct method of step temperature control and cooling. The safety， detonation performance， work capacity and explosion reaction process of the explosive were studied. The molding powder had low mechanical sensitivity and good moldability. When the α-AlH₃ content exceeded 10%， the relative density of the grain decreased with increasing content of α-AlH₃. The characteristic detonation velocity of α-AlH₃ was 6078 m·s^-1. Compared with an HMX based explosive formulation containing aluminum， the counterpart with α-AlH₃ had an equivalent work capacity. But its work capacity was poor at the high and medium pressure stage of the detonation products. The hydrogen element in α-AlH₃ mainly existed in the form of hydrogen in the detonation products.