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US 8,037,797 B1Granted
Method for breaching a minefield
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorsMark Frank, Les H. Richards, Philip L. McDuffie, Christopher Kohl, Thomas G. Ratliff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for breaching a minefield comprising the step of deploying a shaped charge array from a vehicle to detonate the minefield.
Claims21
A method of creating a cleared lane through a minefield, comprising the steps of:
- deploying downwardly pointing shaped-charge munitions in an array from a ground running overpass vehicle such that the explosive force from the shaped charge munitions points downwardly into the earth, the array paying out from the back of the vehicle as the vehicle traverses a lane through the minefield so as to provide a longitudinally extending array, the array being initially compacted within a container on the overpass vehicle, and further including the step of laterally extending the array after the array exits the container by means of a pressurized fluid from a source carried by the vehicle and introduced into a conduit, with the fluid in the conduit acting on the array to extend the array so as to provide a maximally cleared width for a lane;
- and,
- detonating the munitions.
A method of creating a cleared lane through a minefield, comprising the steps of:
- deploying shaped-charge munitions in an array from an overpass vehicle as the vehicle traverses a lane through the minefield so as to provide a longitudinally extending array, the munitions being incorporated into the array and the array being compacted into a container on the vehicle, the container having an exit door, the step of deploying the shaped-charge munitions including attaching one end of the array to the exit door, jettisoning the exit door, and moving the vehicle forward after the jettison of the exit door, whereby the compacted array is pulled out of the container, and,
- detonating the munitions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.