MINEBULL Demining Vehicle Shipped to Afghanistan
Jun. 28, 2007
| Tokyo, June 28, 2007 – Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it has made its first ever delivery of the MINEBULL to Afghanistan, a highly safe and efficient antipersonnel landmine clearance vehicle. The delivery of the MINEBULL was made in response to a request by the Mine Clearance Planning Agency (MCPA), an Afghan non-governmental relief organization backed by the Japanese government’s Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Project, an Official Development Assistance project. The MINEBULL has been improved in terms of safety, maneuverability and maintenance features, incorporating the latest findings of tests conducted in Afghanistan in 2004 through 2005. The MINEBULL comes complete with standard spare parts as well as major demining equipment for damage caused to the vehicle by unexpected antitank landmines and unexploded ordnance. Kawasaki also shipped a mobile workshop vehicle as well as a remote operation vehicle (ROV) equipped with a remote control system along with the MINEBULL. The mobile workshop enables on-site maintenance and repair work to be done in areas that are far away from urban areas. The ROV enables MINEBULL operators to perform easy and precise demining operations from far distances. The MINEBULL shipped to Afghanistan via Pakistan, will be operated by MCPA for actual demining in a minefield in Parwan province starting in September. Certification testing will be conducted during these demining operations. The MINEBULL is a key component of the BULLDOG System, Kawasaki’s highly efficient humanitarian mine detection and demining system. The System is comprised of the MINEBULL, a detection vehicle dubbed the MINEDOG and their remote control and operation devices. MINEDOG detects landmines and MINEBULL removes antipersonnel landmines by remote control for safe and efficient demining operations. The MINEBULL employs a front-mounted high-speed digging drum which detonates antipersonnel mines to clear minefields at a rate of up to 55 m2 per minute. It is normally operated by remote control from more than 300 m away to maintain a safe distance from antitank mines. Other features include depth monitoring equipment to ensure constant depth digging, a GPS map system for precision mapping of the field being worked and cameras to monitor the vehicle’s path. The vehicle is also equipped with drum covers, a conveyor belt with permanent magnetic pulleys and a metal fragment collection bucket to collect buried iron fragments that obstruct the search for remaining mines. The MINEDOG is equipped with mine detection sensors (ground-penetrating radar), surveillance cameras and signal processing systems. It automatically identifies detected landmines and records the location and type of detected landmines on a map. |
