Better Value For Money Equipment For Clearance Of Explosive Ordnance?

There are many factors that influence the methodology of clearance of explosive ordnance adopted by NGOs and Commercial Demining Companies when planning land release operations. These range from topography, terrain and environment to the expected threat type, time constraints and indeed the likely funding available. In commercial operations the contract is also providing a number of stipulations as well as limitations. While there are as many methodologies as there are demining organisations, mechanical clearance ranks as one of the three principal clearance strands available; the other two being manual and animal detection.

Mechanical equipment is not only expensive to purchase, and a major capital investment, but it is generally costly to run and maintain. If planners do not have existing mechanical machinery within their inventory, the cost of budgeting for new equipment and the running of it is a significant proportion of the project budget. So cost is a significant driver and anything that can be done to reduce capital outlay and running expense is desirable.

Whatever the methodology adopted, assets have to be used efficiently. So it is not so much the actual cost of the methodology which is relevant but it is more to do with how the money is spent; i.e. whether it is spent on the right assets for the task it is designed to undertake and most importantly, whether those assets operate to their maximum capacity within allowable safety constraints. So in other words, the methodology adopted must be maximum operational value for money.

Mechanical Tasks

IMAS 09.50 Mechanical Demining states that machines used on clearance of explosive ordnance operations can be divided into those designed to detonate potential threats, those designed to prepare the ground, and those designed to detect hazards.

Those tasks which are particularly well suited to mechanical solutions are as follows:

• Conducting Technical Survey in order to confirm and define the location of the precise hazardous area where geographical information is limited. The level of efficiencies that are gained through the speed of output provided by mechanical equipment detonating or disrupting potential threats will depend on the evidence available to support the performance of that equipment against the specific threat. If there is insufficient evidence, different types of demining assets will be required to confirm the effectiveness of the mechanical activity which may reduce the efficiencies provided by mechanical assets.
•  Processing large areas of land within Suspect Hazardous Areas (SHA) or Confirmed Hazardous Areas (CHA) particularly where the level of tolerable risk remaining after mechanical activity is acceptable to the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA), and in compliance with existing National Mine Action Standards (NMAS) without deploying further demining assets.
• Preparing ground by vegetation cutting, removal of trip wires, loosening soil or removal of excess debris where there has been a build up of soil or sand above the threat due to environmental factors.

Those tasks which are not particularly well suited to mechanical solutions are as follows:

• Processing areas of land within or whole SHAs or CHAs which are either inaccessible or unsuitable to large equipment because of terrain or topography e.g. presence of densely populated trees, rocks and steep slopes.
• Processing large areas of land within SHAs or CHAs where the potential risks remaining are not considered tolerable and further demining operations are required in addition to the mechanical processing.

Value For Money

So how do we make mechanical equipment operational value for money for those tasks to which they are best suited? The principal costs to consider are:

• Capital Costs.
• Running Costs (includes fuel and consumables such as hammers & picks etc)
• Maintenance Costs (includes preventative and non preventative spares)
• Confirmatory follow up costs (includes any manual or canine operations conducted as follow up)

Capital Costs. In many cases this can be optimised by reducing the size of the platform. Reducing platform size could reduce the effectiveness of a mechanical solution designed to detonate the threat because the specific threat may contain quantities of High Explosive (HE) that exceeds the resilience of the equipment. However smaller, more agile machines will have the advantage of making some areas more accessible and give greater versatility to the operator by providing a remote platform for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) of high threat devices (e.g. Improvised, Chemical, Biological or Nuclear) where the operator needs to be separated from the threat. Multirolling machines reduces the platform cost per toolkit significantly.

An example of a Remote Controlled Small (Heavy) Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) is the A20T manufactured by Armtrac Ltd in UK. The base vehicle is powered by a 73 HP diesel engine and together with the Flail Header weighs approximately 2500 Kg. When compared to most conventional Mechanical Demining Equipment which fall into the medium/Heavy UGV Class, the A20T weighs less than 25% of the all up weight with its respective header.

Capital Costs

The table below indicates the approximate cost ratios between a large UGV versus a Small UGV.

* This is not a straight forward equation because of the number of different activities included within EOD/C-IED and engineering but this offers a broad order evaluation to indicate a point rather than an exact quantity.

Running and Maintenance Costs. Reducing the size of the platform, and therefore the engine, increases fuel efficiency for those tasks where the smaller machine is more suitable. There is no suggestion here that one size fits all but the medium sized platform will use approximately five times as much fuel each hour than the smaller platform and the latter is cheaper to maintain as spares costs are reduced substantially by the reduction in scale. Economies are necessary in all commercial operations and using the right tool, in the right place at the right time is an important aspect of achieving savings overall.

Operational Value for Money. Operational value for money brings in another dimension; namely the operational analysis as well as the capital/running cost analysis. In other words, it is the right tool for the task (fit for purpose) and it will operate at maximum efficiency. Are there additional costs associated with confirmatory follow up operations? Logistics must also be taken into account; for instance moving tracked machinery between potential task sites normally creates an additional logistic burden but smaller UGVs have the advantage of being moved by standard 4 x4 vehicles and trailers or airlifted by helicopter. This reduces the logistic footprint associated with the running of the smaller machine and provides the added flexibility of moving quickly between task sites. If the task requires more agility in potentially steep or restricted terrain or it is required to undertake a number of different roles, then the operational efficiencies of a more flexible and transportable platform can combine with economic efficiencies to provide much improved operational value for money overall.

Multi-Rolling

Smaller UGVs can carry out more than one function. These functions are all very different but they have their roots in high risk engineering activities. Clearance of explosive ordnance, demining, and in particular Technical Survey and vegetation cutting are obvious roles for the smaller machine. However, additional equipment such as detectors, disruptors and IED manipulators can all be fitted onto a conventional demining machine to provide a remote EOD platform for other high threat scenarios.

The use of quick hitch couplings for attaching tillers and flails also allows the fitting of traditional buckets for high risk engineering tasks such as the removal of explosive or other threats (chemical, biological or radiological). These combine together to provide a highly flexible engineering toolkit to assist the field operator in whatever scenario he finds himself facing.

Most EOD UGVs are electrically powered and require regular recharging of batteries. Because a diesel engine can run for several hours without refuelling, diesel powered UGVs have a greater longevity of operation in complex situations such as border control incidents and can operate in steep and challenging terrain. In the left photo, a disruptor is mounted on the manipulator arm to neutralise surface IEDs although it could equally be fitted with a de-armer for conventional neutralisation of bomb fuses.

Conventional EOD UGVs carry a manipulator arm to investigate improvised devices remotely and gain access through doors and protective containers. They can lift light loads at a restricted reach for short to moderate periods within battery power constraints. Hydraulically operated toolkits on a diesel powered machine can be fitted with a manipulator arm that provides a comprehensive investigative tool to lift and move heavier surface and sub-surface EO. See example depicted in the left photo.

Hydraulically operated toolkits are generally more powerful than electrically operated equivalents. These toolkits provide a more robust mechanism to push, pull or lift substantially sized Explosive Ordnance to a safe location or to provide a remote platform for light engineering (up to 300 Kg) in high threat environments where safety of the operator is a prime consideration.

A Small (Heavy) UGV is capable of mounting a Tiller or Flail Header up to 1.3 m wide and is capable of achieving a cutting depth of up to 20 cm to cater for sub-surface threats. This provides an ideal TS tool to identify threats up to 2 Kgs of explosive or as a vegetation cutting and preparation tool to prepare ground for follow on demining/EOD activity.

Armtrac Ltd have trialled their A20T in Colombia where the National Authorities are seeking a remote controlled UGV to trigger or locate anti-personnel style booby traps in advance of EOD clearance teams. In the photo to the left, the header was tested against a 2 Kg explosive device in the Colombian cocaine fields and was able to continue operating with complete efficiency.

A Rotary Comb to extract landmines buried up to 20 cm can be fitted to any UGV, large or small. Because the comb pulls the mine to the surface without impacting on the pressure plate, the risk of detonation is very small and therefore it can be fitted to a Small UGV for clearance of both anti personnel and anti vehicle mines.

Smaller UGVs such as the Armtrac 20T Mk2 have the advantage of being moved by standard 4 x4 vehicles and trailers or airlifted by helicopter. This reduces the logistic footprint associated with the running of the smaller machine and provides the added flexibility of moving quickly between task sites.

Large Mechanical Demining Equipment represents a major investment within any demining programme. They are high in capital outlay and running cost but at the same time provide significant efficiencies for certain operations; particularly those where there is a high confidence in the evidence available to support the performance of that

equipment against the specific threat and the potential risks remaining after processing are considered tolerable by the NMAA.

Employment of smaller UGVs to carry out some mechanical functions such as TS and Vegetation Cutting and preparation is very cost effective. In addition, there is greater scope to multi-role smaller UGVs for additional high risk employment particularly in an EOD and light engineering capacity which improves its overall operational value for money.

Smaller UGVs are a cheaper to purchase, run and maintain. They are also more agile than Medium and Heavy UGVs and can often operate in restricted and more challenging terrain. Although primarily employed against the anti personnel mine or booby trap threat, the Small UGV can be used to safely extract anti vehicle mines as well if fitted with the Rotary Comb. While there is definitely still a place for the large and medium UGV in Mine Action to clear large SHAs and CHAs where the potential risks remaining after processing are tolerable to the NMAA, there is definitely also a place for more cost effective Small UGVs to fill certain capability gaps.

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