Demining program

The Norwegian People's Aid is one of very few voluntary organizations that have specialized in disposal mine work. They have described the lack of rapid location of mines that impedes their disposal as follows, using typical examples from several countries.

"In Bosnia-Herzegovina millions of mines made of plastic have been laid. They are extremely difficult to clear. The metal detector cannot find them. New technology is required in order to clear mines there. Present mine clearance is being done in the same way as in 1945."

In Angola, Cambodia, Kurdistan and Mozambique, manual mine clearance using metal detectors is the current method. The metal detectors indicate when they find metal. Then the mine clearance worker has to produce. A knife-like tool is carefully poked diagonally down into the ground at 5-centimeter intervals. Meter by meter. Hour after hour. The whole area has to be examined. Slow and excruciating work.

In 99 percent of cases the metal detector's signals indicate a bottle top, a splinter or a nail. The metal detector does not indicate what is has found in the ground, only that it is made of metal. So the mine clearance worker has to spend valuable time on picking the object up carefully in order be sure that the area is cleared.

HLDF system eliminates this hazardous, slow prodding.

HLDF organization is prepared to introduce our very rapid Humanitarian Landmine Disposal System, based on fully developed high bandwidth sensor technology. A production Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) will be the deployment platform. Advanced image storage technology integrated with Differential Global Position System receivers will be used to geographically locate the precise ground location of the mines. A unique, mine detonation foam will effect their destruction. The Humanitarian Landmine Disposal Foundation (HLDF), is working with this advanced capability providing immediate mine location by airborne sensor.

Airborne Subsystem with the following:

Wide-band Mine Sensor

UAV Avionics Payload Section

DGPS Airborne Receiver/Antenna

Battery/Power Unit

Ground-Based Armored Demining Vehicle Carrying:

Differential GPS Receiver & Antenna

Iridescent Paint Marking Jet Sprayer

Explosive Foam Jet Sprayer

Explosive Foam Detonator

Wide-band Mine Sensor

Deployable boom and blast Shields

For more detailed information please contact hldf@hldf.pt 

© HLDF 2000
Humanitarian Landmine Disposal Foundation
hldf@hldf.pt