In the aftermath of conflict, landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) continue to pose a problem for the safe return of lands to the local community. There can be many hidden hazards left in the ground that can remain a danger to civilians long after peace has been achieved and the dust has settled. Tragically, we still hear of innocent lives being lost that could have been saved through thorough mine clearance operations.
There has always been a need for faster, safer, and more efficient mine clearance methods. This has driven significant innovation in mechanical demining technology in recent years, with Armtrac leading the way in transforming humanitarian demining operations.
Traditional manual demining, involving painstaking probing and detection by human operators, is undeniably effective but comes at a significant human cost and moves at a glacial pace. To truly unlock the potential of post-conflict lands and speed up the return to normalcy, using systems like the Armtrac C-IED Mine Roller System proves invaluable.
The Armtrac Advantage: Speed and Efficiency
An advantage of mechanical mine clearance and verification systems, particularly the Armtrac mine roller, is their speed. Unlike human teams, mechanical systems can cover vast areas of land and routes in a fraction of the time.
The Armtrac Roller System can be deployed at speeds of up to 50 KPH when fitted to the Armtrac 100, and at lower speeds with tracked Armtrac vehicles. This remarkable efficiency means that contaminated land can be surveyed quickly, allowing displaced populations to return home, agricultural practices to resume, and vital infrastructure projects to be carried out once full verification has taken place. Faster, safer, and more thorough land verification directly translates to faster recovery and rebuilding for affected nations.
The most critical benefit of mechanical demining using the Armtrac mine roller is the significant safety enhancement for human ground crews. By deploying a strong mechanical system like the Armtrac mine roller, human deminers can be safely removed from the direct line of danger.
The working tool, rather than a person, bears the risk of detonating victim-operated or pressure-operated devices. The Armtrac Roller System is engineered with this safety feature in mind. In the event of a significant explosive event, the complete roller bank is designed to shear off the main frame at its weakest point and allow for rapid and easy replacement.
Smaller explosions may only damage an individual roller, which can also be quickly replaced. This ensures minimal downtime and continued operational capability without risking human life. This planned safety factor is at the heart of Armtrac's design philosophy, significantly reducing the danger compared to traditional manual methods.
The Armtrac Roller System in Detail
The Armtrac Roller System is explicitly designed to protect ground crews and provide a high level of confidence when proving routes for the presence of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). It functions as a full-width proving device, utilising two wheel banks, each comprising seven individual rollers. These rollers are made from a durable, puncture-proof polyurethane composite built to withstand the impact of explosive events.
The advanced steering system, which allows the Armtrac Roller to articulate left or right, enables it to negotiate moderate corners and turns while maintaining full-width protection for the host vehicle. Its unique linkage arrangement ensures that each roller wheel can articulate independently over undulating terrain, guaranteeing ground contact and effective pressure application regardless of the landscape and the terrain being cleared. The left and right roller banks are identical and interchangeable, swivelling 360 degrees when reversing without interference, adding to its operational flexibility. The system requires weight transfer through the machines hydraulics, in order to achieve the correct down pressure on each roller.
Armtrac can fit its C-IED Mine Roller system to any tracked vehicle or Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). Once the front end of the host vehicle has been measured and confirmed, the attachment from the roller system can be designed to fit any vehicle. If no hydraulics is available on the host vehicle, an additional power pack can be added by Armtrac to allow the weight transfer.
By providing an effective and reliable solution for route proving and verification, Armtrac is helping to speed up the often long and drawn-out process of demining lands of former conflict, protecting those who serve, and ultimately, paving the way for safer, more prosperous futures for communities around the world. Contact us today for more information about our mine roller system.
