Mine clearance equipment is among the most sought after technology by the international demining community. Varying environmental conditions, types of terrain, and the diversity of landmines encountered within mined areas present a daunting challenge to the demining community. The HD R&D Program has developed technologies that assist the demining community to clear mines safely and efficiently.

BADGER

Badger, an intermediate area preparation system, is a medium-class 13-ton excavator that can cut vegetation, dig and process contaminated soil, and prepare suspect area for demining operations using a suite of commercial excavator tools. The tools currently available include: soil sifter, brush cutters, grinding drums, grapples and digging buckets. Badger’s reach-in capability allows the machine to travel in cleared area and operate tools inside suspect area, while its armored cab protects the operator.

PARTNERS: Mines Advisory Group – Cambodia 2009

RAPTOR

The Raptor, a commercial reverse station Fendt farm chassis, has been armored for use as a mine clearance tractor. A suite of commercial and specialized attachments, including cutter, grapnel bucket, chisel plow, cultivator, power harrow, magnet, rotary mine comb, roller, and rock bucket, provide a "tool box" approach to area reduction and preparation.

PARTNERS: The HALO Trust – Afghanistan2010

ROTARY MINE COMB

The Rotary Mine Comb is an innovative tool capable of gently extricating buried objects from the soil and pushing them to the side of the host vehicle's path. The comb's two rotors each contain four soil-engaging tines that intermesh and counter-rotate as the vehicle travels forward. The tines lift and continuously nudge large objects, including anti-tank mines, from the path of the vehicle to the outside edge for neutralization without creating a large berm.

PARTNERS: The HALO Trust – Angola 2008

MULTI-TOOLED EXCAVATOR/ATTACHMENTS

Providing reach-in capability for safe operations with manned equipment, Multi-Tooled Excavators offer highly flexible platforms from which operators can conduct ground preparation and specialized mine clearing processes. The combination of tools for sifting, shredding, and combined function excavation and sifting, is tailored to suit local conditions and demining requirements. The attachments can be fitted to the demining organization’s own armored excavator.

PARTNERS: The HALO Trust – Afghanistan, Mines Advisory Group – Iraq 2007, Cambodia Mine Action Center 2007, Chilean National Demining Commission 2008

MANTIS

Mantis is a modified John Deere farm tractor capable of operating a number of specialized attachments used in mine action. The attachments include anti-personnel mine roller, vegetation cutter, magnet, plow, rake, sifter, and standard front loader attachments. The tractor's cab and engine compartment are armored to provide protection for the operator. Mantis has been fitted with antipersonnel mine survivable SETCO tires and an innovative wheel hub that allows the wheel to separate from the axle in the event of an anti-tank mine detonation.

PARTNERS: The HALO Trust – Afghanistan 2008

NEMESIS M3

The U.S. Army Nemesis M3 is a mechanical clearance and area preparation tool from which humanitarian or force protection demining operations can be safely and efficiently conducted. Nemesis is comprised of modular hardware elements including the robotic vehicle, navigation and positioning subsystem, and clearance tools. A Modular Robotic Control System provides independent command and control of the demining payloads such as ordnance clearing or area preparation tools.

PARTNERS: Naval Facilities & Engineering Command – Vieques, PR 2009

SURVIVABLE DEMINING TRACTOR & TOOLS

The Survivable Demining Tractor & Tools (SDTT) is one of the first success stories of the Humanitarian Demining R&D Program. The modified commercial tractor, fitted with armor plating and optional steel wheels, uses specialized implements to clear heavily vegetated areas and to support demining operations ranging from area preparation to quality assurance. The tools include heavy vegetation cutters, cultivators, rear-mounted slasher, front loader with rake, roller, magnet, and tree extractor capable of pulling trees 20 centimeters in diameter from the soil. 

PARTNERS: Thailand Mine Action Center 2000

STORM

The Severe Terrain Off-Road Menzi Muck, or STORM, is a commercial excavator designed to remove vegetation in rough and steep terrain. Its four spider-like legs allow the excavator to work on slopes of up to 70 degrees and maneuver around obstacles with ease. Dual hydraulic pumps enable it to use a wide variety of commercial attachments, including a unique cutting head that can cut trees up to 20 centimeters in diameter. Additionally, the system's hydraulic lines are designed to shut off flow to the ruptured circuit in the event of a mine blast.

PARTNERS: The HALO Trust – Cambodia 2009

IMPROVED BACKHOE

The Improved Backhoe is a modified commercial backhoe that incorporates a variety of commercial off-the-shelf attachments used for vegetation reduction and soil sifting in mine suspect areas. The vehicle has been modified by armoring the cab and chassis, and adding blast proof SETCO tires capable of withstanding multiple anti-personnel mine detonations. Among the attachments, the Rotar sifting bucket can safely collect, sift, and separate mines and other debris from mine suspected soil.

AIR-SPADE

The Air-Spade uses compressed air at supersonic velocities to rapidly excavate soil, providing a safer alternative to manual mine and UXO excavation. The Air-Spade exerts less than 2 pounds of force on smooth objects such as UXO and mines. The Air-Spade's air-jet, water-jet, vacuum, and vegetation tools ease excavation in difficult soil conditions and provide operators with additional safety by increasing the standoff distance.

PARTNERS: Chilean National Demining Commission, Thailand Mine Action Center, The HALO Trust - Angola

ORBIT SCREEN

The Orbital Action Screening Plant Model 68 efficiently sifts through a variety of soils types for landmines of all sizes. Material is loaded into the 1.8 cubic-yard hopper and fed into a rotating and tilted screen of appropriate size that quickly separates large and/or light items from soil. The highly portable and user friendly Orbit Screen is highly resistant to plugging with plastic, paper, sticks, and vegetation.

PARTNERS: The HALO Trust – Afghanistan 2007