RELEVANCE OF THE PROPOSAL ON MONITORING BEFORE LAND DEMINEMENT.
Our company “Marine and Aviation Special Equipment”, without interfering with or duplicating the specific activities of deminers, can provide the SES units with specific information about the presence of explosive objects (EOD), which will speed up and increase the efficiency of demining territories by dozens of times. The Steppe Hunter project is a modern, patented, original Ukrainian monitoring and information system for demining, consisting of:
1.1 Detailed survey of mined areas by modern robots and drones,
1.2 Detection and identification of explosive ordnance (EOD) on the surface and in the depths of the soil, such as unexploded ordnance of all calibers, mortar mines, engineering obstruction devices and mines of various purposes: anti-personnel, anti-vehicle, anti-tank, improvised and atypical ammunition, “trench” and booby-traps.
1.3 Rapid informing professional units (in an expanded, detailed format) about detected EOD for their subsequent neutralization.
2. CURRENT STATUS AND METHODS OF SOLVING
THE PROBLEM.
Today, demining (humanitarian demining) in Ukraine is carried out in two ways:
1. Sappers are sent to minefields with search devices to detect and neutralize ERW.
2. The method of continuous processing of the territory with tracked equipment with plowshares or rotary devices is used.
The second system, in our opinion, is more effective, humane and safe for personnel, but its disadvantages are:
2.1 Random work, which leads to damage to the equipment, requires its evacuation from the minefield and subsequent major repairs,
2. 2 Unpredictable duration of operation of this equipment,
2.3 The need for a large number of units of equipment to be used instead of the damaged one,
2.4 Large expenditures of time and fuel for demining,
2.5 Limited ability to process the remains of landings, trenches, dugouts, strong points, caponiers for armored vehicles and gun positions.
2.6 No one will argue that monitoring territories using drones and high-performance sensors for them is much faster than a foot or mechanized search for EOD.
3. RISKS AND LOSSES DURING DEMINING.
From the above, the following risks can be identified: – for the life and health of deminers, – damage to special equipment, – unnecessary expenditure of time and resources for mechanized demining (calculations of the width of the passage of special equipment divided by the area for demining, plus costs for fuel, service personnel, overhaul of damaged equipment, etc.) –
4. NEW APPROACHES TO SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
What the problem now is, is the lack of a low-cost, effective and fast set of measures for the safest possible demining. The novelty of solving the problem, proposed by our team, lies precisely in the creation of electronic and paper maps of the availability of GNP for mechanized demining thanks to monitoring of territories with hybrid drones. In especially difficult cases, demining specialists are involved.
5. MATERIAL AND PERSONNEL PROVISION.
To implement the system of effective, maximally safe, rapid demining that we have already developed, it is necessary to create a scientific, implementation and training center, where employees of mobile expeditionary groups will be trained and a stationary unit will be created for mapping territories subject to demining.
Such groups must be provided with means of performing tasks, equipment and techniques for moving personnel, namely:
5.1 Small aircraft (drones-hybrids),
5.2 Basic universal vans, which contain places for:
5.2.1 Maintenance and minor repairs of search drones, current refueling
5.2.2 Medical support for personnel,
5.2.3 Food during work on site,
5.2.4 Arrangement of a communication system for transmitting data from search drones to the processing and mapping center, and subsequent production of paper or electronic maps. If the above conditions are met, the speed and quality of mine clearance will accelerate, its cost will decrease, and the safety and efficiency of performing complex tasks will increase.
THE MENTIONED CONDITIONS FOR ACCELERATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF THE CLEANING OF UKRAINE’S TERRITORIES REQUIRE CERTAIN COSTS. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION TERM FROM 6 MONTHS (which are necessary to create drones, a mobile vehicle base, the estimated cost of development is 1-1.5 million dollars. Which are spent on the mobile vehicle base of the project, the creation of unmanned drones, the payroll, software development, the creation of unique sensors, personnel equipment, production and arrangement of the base van)
THE PROJECT TEAM “STEP HUNTER” IS COUNTING ON PARTIAL FINANCING BY GRANTS OR DONATIONS FROM INTERESTED ORGANIZATIONS,
IN PARTICULAR AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES THAT NEED TO BE DEVELOPED. IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT DEPEND ON THE FORESIGHT OF THE AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES’ MANAGERS. FOR PROPOSALS FOR COOPERATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE PROJECT MANAGER PERSONALLY.