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Large minefields significantly complicated the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces in 2023. In the US, new ways of solving this problem are being developed, actively using drones and robots. It is assumed that in the future, sappers will not need to risk their lives on the battlefield, and engineering troops will be able to demine territories remotely.
Engineers from the 20th Engineer Brigade of the 18th Airborne Division at Fort Liberty participated in a multi-day experiment to test different options for breaching barbed wire barriers, dragon’s teeth tank barriers and deep trenches. But the biggest progress so far has come from drones, which the Army uses to locate enemy mines, said Maj. Scott Rayburn.
The Army has tested unmanned platforms such as the SkyRaider and the small Anafi quadcopter, Rayburn said. Engineers then installed a variety of sensors on the drones, including LiDAR, to map possible mine sites. According to Rayburn, it’s important to use multiple types of sensors to detect mines because no single camera can provide all the information needed. In addition to the fact that more sensors are installed on one drone, the engineer will be able to estimate the scale of the enemy’s minefield faster. By contrast, drones equipped with only one type of sensor force soldiers to manually create a complex image made up of multiple drone flights, Rayburn said. Although larger drones capable of carrying more sensors are easier to shoot down, so you have to find a compromise.
The software helps identify mines after collecting the data. At the same time, the SORID system of the Office of Naval Research is considered one of the most promising tools. Such systems can use machine learning to determine what types of mines are on the field.
In order to break down these barriers, engineers turned to commercially available solutions. Among the vehicles tested were the S-MET wheeled army robot the size of a golf cart and the EMAV tracked robot about the size of a car. According to Rayburn, the S-MET has proven its ability to destroy barbed wire. Engineers have also successfully adapted the EMAV to fire the army’s MICLIC missile complex, capable of instantly demining minefields. In addition to the military robots, one Caterpillar bulldozer remotely fell asleep in the trench.
In general, the military was satisfied with the results. However, soldiers need more time to get used to the technology, which has not yet been implemented in the army.
Source: defenseone
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