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Ukraine tests homemade vehicle to speed up demining
Russia-Ukraine War: The damage is relatively minor -- considering the vehicle has just been tested on five anti-tank mines.
Vitaliy points to dents and twisted metal on an armoured vehicle the Ukrainian engineer developed to locate and safely detonate landmines and unexploded bombs via remote control.
The damage is relatively minor -- considering the vehicle has just been tested on five anti-tank mines.
In war-torn areas of Ukraine, locals have been seeking new ways of detecting and detonating unexploded bombs before they result in death.
Vitaliy showed off his prototype made on the base of a Hitachi excavator at a military training ground in southeastern Ukraine.
His work has caught the attention of authorities in the city of Kriviy Rig, who asked him to help demine the area.
Vitaliy said he also plans to demine Kherson and Kharkiv, parts of which were "de-occupied".
But the work will be difficult -- one third of Ukrainian territory is thought to contain mines or unexploded ordnance.
"Mining in Ukraine is so dense that sappers are simply scared. It's practically mines lying on top of mines," Vitaliy said.
Remote control
Vitaliy, who said he cannot reveal his full name or day job, consulted with a military sapper commander to armour the vehicle.
It has a large protective shield and a rotating bar with weighted chains that hammer the ground with the force of one tonne, detonating or destroying mines, even those underground.
The concept is not new, but Vitaliy hopes for government support to make them locally and avoid costly imports.
Huge areas of Ukraine are scattered with mines placed by departing Russian troops as well as unexploded shells and missiles, which officials warn could take many years to clear.
Last week Vitaliy's vehicle managed to destroy 10 anti-personnel mines and five anti-tank mines in its path during testing by military institutes, suffering only damage to several chains and fixings, rubber shielding and bolts.
These can be easily repaired, Vitaliy said.
A driver sat in the cabin during tests with anti-personnel mines, Vitaliy said, adding, "There weren't any volunteers for anti-tank mines."
The team used a remote control system, watching from a safe distance.
If passed, the vehicle will be classed as suitable for emergency rescue work, Vitaliy said, but it lacks tank armour for combat areas.
He hopes it will work on large fields that take sappers many days to cover.
"The planned speed for demining here is up to two kilometres an hour. The width (of the chains) is 4.5 metres, that's 9,000 square metres per hour, no sapper could de-mine such a distance," he said.
The vehicle cannot work in certain terrain such as forests, he cautioned.
