KHARKIV OBLAST, UKRAINE, March 29 – The State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region works with an Armtac 400 demining vehicle manufactured by the British Armtrac Ltd. A large demining machine of British origin will be crucial for the safety of people in the area left by the Russian occupiers.

Clearing these munitions is a labor-intensive process that can take generations. Mines are a cruel and deadly weapon, as they can remain underground for decades, waiting to be discovered by civilians. Every year, thousands of people are killed or maimed by anti-personnel mines.

What are demining machines for?

The Armtrac 400 demining machine is the largest deminer in the line of special equipment from the British company Armtrac Ltd. It is a massive-armored tractor with a 3-meter bucket at the front filled with blunted teeth that rotate on hydraulic rotors.

It is designed to clear paths through minefields and provides clearance using a motorized chain system to detonate mines safely. With a 3-meter hydraulically driven tiller rotor, it can remove 2,400 square meters per hour (depending on the terrain and operator experience). With an effective processing depth of 55 cm, the Armtrac 400 is designed to destroy and counter 10 kg anti-tank mines.

The weight is 23 tons and the maximum speed is 7 km/h. That is, the machine can neutralize a strip several meters wide at the speed of a walk, like a walk. In an hour, it can process about 2,500 square meters of territory, half a football field.

The 3-meter hydraulic rotor can clear more than 2,400 square meters of territory per hour, while neutralizing explosive residues at a depth of 55 cm. It has reliable protection against anti-tank mines weighing up to 10 kg.

The Armtrac 400 costs approximately half a million dollars, and Ukraine raised the money through donations via United 24, a government-backed donation platform. The mine problem in Ukraine will persist for decades, and additional A400s are planned to be purchased over the next few months.

Ukraine is currently one of the most mined countries in the world. Due to the full-scale invasion of the country, more than 1/4 of Ukraine’s territory is potentially affected by explosives. Defense forces, State Emergency Service deminers and mine action operators are working on demining.

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