I was musing over alternative ways on how to get rid of landmines easily. During my search on current ways to dispose of them, I read about an idea about using fighter planes to strafe low over minefields above Mach 1 as a means to detonate them. Allegedly the sonic boom would set them off, but I don’t know of any real world applications of that theory. There’s millions of unexploded landmines and usually in destitute countries, so they naturally can’t afford to have F-16’s flying all over the place as a solution.
So besides that idea, what would be needed to make some sonic activators for landmines? What would be a good way to clear, say, an acre of land of landmines? I was thinking maybe some worm thumpers would be good, or anything else that could generate a lot of low wavelength vibrations in the ground. Or what about drilling holes in the ground and setting off detcord like they do for mining operations?
The Soviet UR-77 doesn’t quite live up to your requirements, but I found the method pretty neat. It fires a rocket towing explosive cords, which clears a corridor about 6m wide after landing. I found a similar British system as well, and there are probably other similar ones.
The US has a similar rocket powered minefield clearance to punch a lane through an anti-tank minefield. There are smaller units to breach barbed wire and anti-personnel barriers for infantry.
The shockwave from a plane will be insufficient to detonate mines reliably especially in older minefields with uncertain depths. Older mines also may be more or less sensitive depending on aging or corrosion of the arming mechanism.
Bill Wattenburg’s invention, the helicopter minesweeper, seems like it should work. I don’t think it has ever been deployed, though. Dr. Bill blames politics and naysayers, but I think his abrasive personality might have something to do with it.
I could nitpick any of his supposed advantages but here’s few.
Six inch depth. What about the rest of the mines? Typical procedure in Afghanistan was: Mine flail the area. The flails typically tore up the first six to 12 inches of the desert; Armored bulldozer then would scrape down another foot. The area would be then swept with humans/dog interface with probing as necessary. If mines were still there (as often was the case) - rinse, lather, repeat. One area between the runway and taxiway at Bagram was never satisfactorily cleared in eight months of trying while I was there back in 2002.
The proposed equipment won’t clear any mines from ravines, fisures in the ground, ditches along side the roadway, between buildings, washed down stream beds, in sewers, mounds along our path to the latrines/showers (:eek::eek:). We would be standing in line for evening chow with the deminers (people) probing the ditch along main road not more that 50 feet from us. Why probe the ditch? - To lay electrical/commo cable and widen the road. You got used to it. Mines and mine markings were everywhere.
Snagged equipment: Yes it will detach from the helicopter. How will you recover the equipment? Drop or walk soldiers into the minefield to unsnag/reattach? No risk there.
Regarding sweeping for mines at sea: Water is flatter (except in heavy weather when I suspect the operations are curtailed). The mines also standout more from the background in water due to size, metallic content, and density although the latest mines are very sophisticated and can defeat many clearing techniques. . As for being thorough - I doubt the Navy will trust a carrier to known mined areas even if swept.
