Mine retrieval method and apparatus
AssigneeQinetiq Limited
InventorsBrett R Lowery, Thomas Packard
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Abstract
The invention relates to the field of land mines and in particular to devices and techniques for neutralising and/or retrieving land mines. Existing mine retrieval/neutralisation techniques include mechanical excavation or shaped charge attack and such techniques are either susceptible to blast damage in the event of inadvertent mine explosion or can produce ambiguous results (i.e. an operator can be unsure as to whether a mine has been successfully attacked or a non-mine target has been attacked in error). The present invention provides a mine retrieval technique that involves spearing the mine for later retrieval to the surface.
Claims11
A method of retrieving a buried mine comprising the following steps:
- i) locating a mine to be retrieved;
- ii) propelling a mine retrieval device toward the mine to be retrieved, the mine retrieval device comprising at least one “mine penetrating” spike supported on a base plate, such that the mine is penetrated and engaged by at least one spike, and;
- iii) retrieving the mine retrieval device and mine
A mine retrieval device comprising a base plate, at least one mine penetrating spike, the at least one spike being supported by the base plate and being capable in use of penetrating and engaging a mine and propelling means being capable in use of propelling the base plate and the at least one spike towards a mine with sufficient velocity to enable the mine to be penetrated.
A mine retrieval device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 wherein the at least one spike is barbed.
A mine retrieval device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6 wherein the tip of the at least one spike contains a chemical capsule, said capsule being arranged in use to break during penetration of a mine in order to release a chemical capable of initiating a low order reaction of the mine's explosive components.
A mine excavation device as described herein and exemplified with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A method of mine excavation as described herein and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.