Assured Mobility - Breaching
Breaching a mine field in order to create a safe and clear path for troops to follow is a task which would traditionally require a large range of equipment to be fielded including Mine Ploughs, Earthmoving Dozers, Excavators and Bridging Equipment and this must be supported by an expensive and complicated collection of personnel, associated spare parts and consumables.
Pearson Engineering, a world-leading provider of Counter-Mine, Counter-IED, Combat Earth Moving and Assault Bridging vehicle attachments, allows Armoured Fighting Vehicles to be adapted and optimised for specific tasks by supplying a range of different vehicle attachments which can be interchanged to suit the task at hand.
Pearson Engineering, which is a supplier to many major international programmes, understands the range of manoeuvre support challenges faced by soldiers in-theatre and recognises the importance of ‘Assured Mobility’, be it in demolishing obstacles, crossing trenches, opening routes or clearing mines. The company’s range of interchangeable attachments allows Commanders to have in-stride operational flexibility and the resources to adapt to missions as they evolve.
The Pearson Engineering approach to providing ‘Assured Mobility’ during breaching offers an economical way to use vehicles from an existing fleet to perform specific, mission dependent tasks which would usually require a dedicated vehicle such as a bulldozer or excavator.
With one common interface, Front End Equipment (FEE) can be quickly attached, released and interchanged. This ability to adapt to the specific requirements of the mission and to deploy a range of different FEE on the same host platform, rather than multiple specially designed vehicles, can mean that tactical flexibility is enhanced and fewer spares are required. This approach is a cost effective way of optimising an existing vehicle fleet for multiple roles.
This approach has been proven from the heaviest Main Battle Tank, Medium Weight Wheeled and Tracked Armoured Fighting Vehicles to the lighter weight MRAP vehicles.
One example of a Pearson Engineering Front End Equipment which can be used to provide powerful breaching capability is the Full Width Mine Plough. It can be interchanged with other mission equipment using the High Lift Adaptor which facilitates attachment and release of the equipment and its impact upon the host vehicle is minimal.
The Full Width Mine Plough has been extensively used by many countries throughout the world. It is designed to clear concealed or buried mines and IEDS found within the path of the full width of the vehicle, by bringing them to the surface and moving them wide and clear of the vehicle. This produces a safe and mine free lane for following vehicles and troops.
The blast resistant system comprises three main parts; two 9-tine track width blades to protect the vehicle tracks and a central 5-tine vee blade to provide full width clearance. Fold out blade extensions to each side of the system ensure that mines are pushed well beyond the width of the cleared lane. Ploughing depth is controlled by plough skids which remain in contact with the ground at all times. The system works well in a wide range of soil conditions and ground undulations.
The Full Width Mine Plough can be supplemented with a number of other associated products which allow the best operational capability to be achieved.
The Magnetic Signature Duplicator provides a magnetic signature sufficiently in advance of a vehicle to negate the effectiveness of magnetically influenced mines.
The Magnetic Signature Duplicator increases the effectiveness and survivability of countermine equipment by causing the stand-off detonation of magnetically influenced mines at a safe distance ahead of the host vehicle by generating a multi-axial magnetic signature optimised for passively fused mines.
The system, which is proven in-service, can be integrated onto any of Pearson Engineering’s de-mining and countermine systems to enhance the overall effectiveness of the operation.
Additionally, an Obstacle Marking System delivers a payload from the host vehicle in order to mark safe lanes and areas created by the Full Width Mine Plough and Magnetic Signature Duplicator.
The Obstacle Marking System is an electro-pneumatic payload dispensing system most commonly used for marking the boundaries of routes and areas. Designed to fire marker poles into the ground at controlled intervals, the Obstacle Marking System gives host vehicles the capability to clearly mark out hazardous areas.
The dispenser unit enables marker poles to be fired pneumatically, controlled either manually or automatically, into a variety of surfaces from sand and soil to asphalt and concrete at either timed or distance based intervals.
Through the application of Pearson Engineering’s interchangeable tools, a Commander is given the flexibility to achieve his mission. He can match the equipment to the mission requirement, from breaching to assault gap crossing and from obstacle reduction to route proving.
Other Pearson Engineering products, such as the Light Weight Proofing Roller , Combat Dozer Blade and Bridge Launch Mechanism are examples of equipment which can be attached and interchanged to provide Assured Mobility.
About Pearson Engineering
Pearson Engineering is a world-leading provider of Counter-Mine, Counter-IED, Combat Earth Moving and Assault Bridging Equipment for Armoured Fighting Vehicles. Our products include Mine Ploughs, Combat Dozer Blades, Earth Anchor Blades, Excavator Arms, Bridge Launch Mechanisms, Mine Rollers, Surface Clearance Devices, Obstacle Marker Systems, IED Route Clearance Equipment and Vehicle Remote Control Systems.
Our products are supplied as vehicle attachments and may be fitted either directly or via a suitably sized common interface system. Their quick and easy attach and release ensures the right equipment is available for the job when it is needed.
A policy of continuous investment in research and development means that our products are responsive to the needs of the Warfighter.
