The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is on the increase as conflicts continue to become more diverse and more Non-State actors proliferate. When it comes to clearing IEDs, landmines, and other explosive ordnance there is specialist equipment and tools that have been designed to help with the process.
In many places around the world, paths need to be cleared to allow the local population to walk and drive in safety. Life needs to continue after the conflicts have ended and people need to go to work, shop for food, and children need to get to school.
The presence of hidden IEDs in urban and rural spaces can stall progression and interfere with the stability of local life and economies. Since the release of many expanses of land in recent years in former areas of conflict, it is even more crucial that the ground is swept for hidden IEDs to make it safe again for use.
The clearing of roads for safe transportation is needed in these areas to support local infrastructure, food markets, agriculture, schools and hospitals. In 2020 alone, the UN enabled 3.5 million people from local communities in former areas of conflict to return to everyday life once again. A large part of this was to clear the land of improvised explosive devices that threatened local developments.
What are IEDs?
The UN International Ammunition Technical Guidelines defines an IED as 'a device placed or fabricated in an improvised manner, incorporating destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic or incendiary chemicals and designed to destroy, incapacitate, harass or distract. It may incorporate military stores, but is usually devised from non-military components.
IEDs tend to be homemade explosive ordnances that are created and deployed in ways outside traditional military planning and action. They can often be constructed from commercial explosives or components that were not intended for this use by the manufacturer such as unused artillery, mortar or tank ammunition which are then connected to a victim operated system.
IEDs are rarely manufactured in a munitions factory and tend to be of an improvised nature that uses the materials at hand to make a device to target an opponent. Materials often include adapted convention munitions, making them wholly unpredictable and difficult to categorise.
These devices can be timed to explode or triggered by pressure, movement or even light. Some can be set off remotely by command wires or radio control devices such as remote garage openers at the moment that a terrorist deems will have the most impact.
These unexploded hidden IEDs are abandoned once a conflict ends and are never retrieved or disarmed by the people who dispatched them. As they are mostly placed randomly without any strategic military planning, there will be no record of their location to enable their safe disarmament and removal.
Demining and Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (IEDD) actions
Safety crews armed with demining, Counter Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) and IEDD equipment are often the first people to enter war-torn cities, towns and villages after a conflict has been resolved. They aim to clear the main roads and routes of mines and IEDs, and other explosive munitions to allow access to farmland, schools and hospitals.
Quite often, their services are called upon to help emergency services and utility companies reach areas that require urgent repair or replace critical infrastructures such as sanitation, water, and power.
Demining, C-IED and IEDD action enable the safe return of displaced communities because of war. Clearing former conflict areas from the risk of death or serious injury posed by IEDs and other explosive ordnances is an essential part of the peace process and a key action towards re-establishing civilian life.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Equipment from Armtrac
The design and engineering team at Armtrac have developed a wide range of explosive ordnance disposal tools and equipment for your needs. One of our most popular and versatile pieces of equipment is our Roller system, which is designed to provide confidence that an intended route is safe and protect vehicles from the effects of victim operated IEDs (VOIED)during C-IED operations.
The Roller system is a valuable tool for using on roads and routes across land where you believe there may be a possibility, rather than a probability, of mines or IEDs being present on an intended route. . If the roller triggers a mine or IED, this indicates a probability of explosive devices being present and normally detection or clearance equipment is employed to deal with them.
Our Roller appliance is a full-width device that uses two wheel banks containing seven rollers each. We designed the rollers to be robust and puncture-proof, making this system ideal for using over broken and uneven ground.
Each polyurethane roller wheel can navigate over rough terrain. Should a roller encounter a large explosive device, the complete roller bank separates from the mainframe, allowing it to be easily replaced. Smaller devices the size of anti-personnel mines would only damage one of the rollers and would not necessarily require replacement.
Route Proving C-IED Mine Clearing Roller System
Our route proving C-IED mine clearing roller system has been designed to be attached to our Armtrac 100-350 Mk2. Alternatively it can be fitted to a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle or an Armoured vehicle designed to be used in an explosive ordnance environment. These normally are required to have hydraulic power to provide downward pressure on the roller system and lift the roller system off the ground when not in use.
This system is used to detonate victim operated explosive ordnance that could be hidden along routes. There are many accounts of insurgents using landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to cause chaos along supply and logistic routes that get left behind following conflict resolution.
If you want to protect MRAP and other vehicles from victim operated IED devices, then this solution from Armtrac is an ideal tool to reassure your drivers that they are protected. Armtrac can assist in providing a hydraulic power pack to the vehicle if it doesn’t have this already. However the best solution is to use an A100-350 Mk2 to operate this because we can provide additional detection and clearance solutions for it to use if a device is triggered.
System specifications:
- Average force per roller - 300kg
- Full width clearance - 3.59m
- Operating speed range - 0-50 kph
- Total weight with vehicle - 4,200kg
- Weight - 2,200kg
Please contact our team at Armtrac to discuss your IEDD needs, including our route proving roller system.
