For a long time after the peace accords were signed, the remnants of conflict remained hidden out of sight, waiting for their next victim. This threat is not only confined to distant, developing nations; it is sometimes closer to home than we care to imagine.
In 2016, the peaceful coastline of Devon, UK, was reminded of this danger when an unexploded Second World War bomb was discovered on a local beach, forcing a large-scale evacuation. This reminds us that the legacy of war and civil conflicts can linger beneath the soil for generations, transforming familiar landscapes into hazard zones. For those living in post-conflict regions globally, it highlights the valuable, life-saving mission of effective mine clearance.
Humanitarian Demining
Mine clearance is one of the main components of mine action, which includes non-technical and technical survey, mapping, minefield marking, and mechanical removal of explosive hazards. This process is called "demining," and is fundamentally divided into two types, each with a distinct objective.
Firstly, there is military mine clearance. This is a tactical operation conducted by combat engineers during a conflict to establish safe corridors for troop movement. Its goal is to clear only what blocks the path of advancement or retreat and is done as rapidly as possible or during darkness to avoid being targetted.
In stark contrast is humanitarian mine clearance. Humanitarian mine clearance is driven by the mission to clear land completely, carefully removing all explosive ordnance so that the local community can return to their homes, farm their fields, and resume their daily routines without the threat posed by hidden landmines. The ultimate aim of humanitarian demining is to restore security and economic viability at the community level.
The challenge is not just discovering and disposing of the landmines already laid, but also those stored in caches. In accordance with Article 4 of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention, State Parties must destroy their stockpiled mines and clear mined areas under State control. This global effort has seen sixty-five countries destroy a combined total of more than 37 million mines including the Falkland Islands by the UK Government, demonstrating a commitment to ending this indiscriminate form of warfare. However, even with this progress, millions of buried devices remain a lethal hurdle to recovery. Armtrac mechanical demining equipment was used during the clearance of the Falkland Islands.
The Armtrac Solution
Traditional methods of mine clearance rely on manual crews and canine teams, are painstakingly slow, often dangerous, and challenging in vast, overgrown, or heavily contaminated areas. To accelerate land release and drastically enhance crew safety, mechanical solutions are essential.
Armtrac provides crucial land-clearance operations worldwide with robust, flexible, and powerful mine-clearance machinery. Our innovative approach ensures we have the perfect solution for differing environments, from dense scrubland and rocky inclines to soft sand and heavily mined fields.
Many of our mine clearance machines are designed to allow a variety of different, specialised toolkits to be securely bolted onto the main platform. This modular approach ensures that the same machine can be rapidly reconfigured to meet the challenges of different operations. These toolkits include heavy-duty flails and tillers for deep mechanical clearance, apparatus for scrub clearance in heavily vegetated areas, and tools that can be precisely deployed for bank work or reaching into awkward spots that present unacceptable risks to ground crews conducting manual sweeps.
Featured Technology: The Unstoppable Armtrac 400
A prime example of Armtrac's commitment to safety and power is the Armtrac 400. This machine is a formidable mechanical demining vehicle engineered to destroy and withstand the blast of a 10kg anti-tank mine.
The A400 boasts a hydraulically driven 3-metre Tiller rotor, capable of clearing an impressive 2,400 square metres per hour in optimal conditions. With an effective tilling depth of 40cm, it ensures that even deeply buried explosive ordnance is neutralised or exposed. The A400 can be entirely operated via remote control from up to 1000 metres away, or manually from its fully armoured, soundproofed, and air-conditioned cabin.
The Armtrac 400 features a three point linkage that allows different demining toolkits, such as the tiller or flail, to be extended and articulated. This is valuable when clearing hidden mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in difficult-to-access locations, such as steep slopes, cliff edges, or river banks, enabling the machine to remain stationary and safe while reaching into awkward areas that are often inaccessible to crews on foot. Armtrac 400s are deployed in Egypt, Sudan, Angola, Nigeria and Ukraine.
The design, development and deployment of advanced machinery, such as the Armtrac 400, are transforming mine clearance from a slow, perilous process into a rapid, safe, and efficient humanitarian aid effort. By leveraging power, precision, and flexibility, Armtrac is dedicated to reclaiming the unseen battlefields of the world and returning safe, productive land to the communities that need it most. Contact us to find out more.
