Sad though it is as a statement, but as of June 2016 there were only 10 nations around the world that had no involvement in armed conflict, either within their own borders or that of another, which is why demining is so important.
Although we entered the new millennium moving towards a world with a noticeable reduction in war and armed conflict (Europe for example is enjoying the longest period of sustained peace since the middles ages), it is a distressing truism that today, many children’s experience of growing up around the world is still heavily traumatized by war, armed conflict and violence. For people who live in many parts of Central and West Africa and the Middle East and Asia, as well as other conflict zones around the world, death and injury at the hands of armed military and non-military combatants is all too common.
One of the most devastating, long lasting and indiscriminate developments in warfare has been the use and deployment of land mines. Often simply differentiated as either anti-tank mines or anti-personnel mines, these devices can lie dormant for decades, often far outliving the conflict itself, yet still posing a dangerous and potentially fatal threat given their power and function. They are particularly lethal in relation to children as the children’s centre of mass lies so much closer to the ground, and closer to the mine, than adults. They render land impassable and unusable and due to their comparative cheapness, their use in less structured conflict zones has resulted in a high level of undocumented deployment of these devices, meaning the likelihood of their detonation, especially by civilians is very high. Since 1975 over 1 million people had either been killed or serious maimed by exploding landmines, 80% of incidences involve civilians. An extraordinary 110 million landmines are deployed in 64 countries around the world and are responsible for 26,000 deaths/maiming’s a year currently.
Armtrac has a long history of expertise and experience of providing mine clearance machines to work in the field of demining, and often to work particularly closely with the UN’s mine action programmes. The field of demining can be categorised as military (usually during conflict) or non-military, and it is in this second category that the real work of rebuilding communities and lives is served by demining activities to completely remove any landmines buried in previous conflict areas.
Although there are many innovative and effective methods which have and are still being developed to assist with humanitarian demining; including training dogs, rats and even Honey Bees, the use of mechanical demining equipment is one of the safest and, when used together with another recognised method, is considered highly efficient and very thorough. Armtrac has a wealth of experience both from a military and engineering standpoint to ensure its products are considered as cutting edge when it comes to provision of safe and effective technical survey, removal and controlled detonation of both anti-personnel and anti-tank mines and other unexploded explosive ordinance.
Our R&D department ensures that we will always remain at the forefront of technology when it comes to mechanical demining machinery. Every demining machine we build is rigorously tested and inspected during the manufacturing process to ensure every component conforms to our high standards. We offer a wide range of machines for demining which can cope with every eventuality out in the real world. Our more mobile remote-controlled robot, the A20T is ideal for challenging terrain (can deploy on gradients of up to 30°) and can be used to detect, investigate and uncover IED’s from a safe distance. The Armtrac 400 is the most powerful of the range and can demine an area of 2,400 square meters per hour to an effective depth of 55cm. It is designed to destroy and withstand 10kg anti-tank mines. It can be used via remote control or directly by an operator from the armoured cabin to ensure demining is carried out in the safest environment possible.
We have a wide range of products which serve every possible demining scenario for the user and pride ourselves on developing machines which are inherently flexible in their configuration. This means their lifespan can be extended beyond demining activities to function in other capacities with ease and provide a much greater value for money when the primary work of the machines has been completed. Armtrac is proud to support the continued and ongoing global fight against the use of landmines and feels confident that with its machines, land can be made safe again in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible.
For more information on the different types of demining machines that Armtrac manufacture, visit our website or contact us.
