Clearing Landmines- Dollars and sense

bulldogg

Milforum's Bouncer
http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/jpt/demining/countries/minefields.html

I have been looking around for awhile now on this subject and the above link was the best I could find that addressed the cost issues involved with clearing minefields. My big unanswered question is WHY it costs so much to remove the landmines. I understand the equipment is expensive but it is not a disposable item. Once you have the equipment it can be reused ad nauseum so why does it cost so much to clear a minefield? This source, along with others, claims it costs $1000 per land mine to clear a field. Can someone help me understand this?
 
I've heard anything from $200 to $1000 pr landmine.
But it's certainly expensive anyway.

The cost of the equipment/explosives is one thing, but 2-3 persons (or more) may handle each mine, and it can take several work hours to handle one single mine (find it, clear it, render it safe, transport it away and destroying it etc..), so you also have to add the salary for those persons as well.

So between $500 to $1000 pr mine can actually be true.
 
Yep its the personal danger involved that takes the price up high. Also those mineclearing machines arn't cheap.
 
How does the personal danger make the price go up? Not to be vulgar but are they figuring in life insurance pay outs for "mistakes"?

I know the machines are expensive but once you have them they're reusable over and over right? I really wonder about the math on this one.

I know it takes a few guys, working slowly to make safe any live ordinance. Is the cost related to an hourly wage to those involved?

There isn't alot of transparency on this issue from what I have dug up. I have been unable to find a break down of the cost per land mine.
 
bulldogg said:
How does the personal danger make the price go up? Not to be vulgar but are they figuring in life insurance pay outs for "mistakes"?

I think they're figuring no one's stupid enough to go into an F*ing MINEFIELD for 5.15 an hour.
 
"I know the machines are expensive but once you have them they're reusable over and over right? I really wonder about the math on this one. "

Till they are blown to pices ;)
 
How does the personal danger make the price go up? Not to be vulgar but are they figuring in life insurance pay outs for "mistakes"?

Most militaries have hazard pay for disposal of things such as UXOs.
 
You can operate this machine remotely.
It,s safely but those machine are expensive and land mines are too many to sweep.
Even this machine can sweep only anti personal land mines.
An anti personal land mine is very cheap 3$.

2003122412572812143.jpg
 
Or you could use this one: Which has been field tested in macedonia, balkan, USA and Sweden. Its safe for all known mines including anti-tank mines and the cabin is safe if one of those anti tank mines would detonate under the cabin (the Scajack will be destroyed but the cabin will be intact)

maskin_helbild_ute.jpg


More images:

http://www.scanjack.com/

The scanjack in Croatia has demined (detonated, destroyed or removed) 1165 AP-mines, 2150 AT-mines and 1050 UXO’s.
 
Based on the same system as above plus an M113 vehicle solution. Often used in the MNB(c) sectors in Kosovo.

Kosovo-18.jpg

Kosovo-20.jpg
 
They are a junk weapon that kills indiscriminately. Landmines kill more innocent civilians, mostly children who play in the field, than they do military personnel. Claymores being an exception as these are detonated by a person who can see his target.
 
Minefields are by their very definition area denial weapons. Minefields arn't neccessarily there to kill the enemy, they are there to prevent the enemy from using that area. Like if you've got 2 passes through a mountain and mountain pass #1 is more defensible, then you throw mines all through mountain pass #2 so the enemy HAS to come and fight you at mountain pass #1.

The mines may not have even killed anyone, but they would be integral in such a battle.
 
bulldogg said:
Claymores being an exception as these are detonated by a person who can see his target.

Not exactly right. Claymores can be rigged to be set off by trip wires. At least that is how we had them set up in defense of our base camp in VietNam. Being out of the military for quite a while, I'm not sure if they still have that capability.
 
Claymores can be set off by either detonator in hand or rigged on trip wires, pressure sensors, even light sensors. Just in case you dont here the B******S sneaking up on you lol
As for mine clearance you know the big rollers people use on their lawns and stuff, why dont we get a big one of them and roll it across a minefield if nothing blows up, then we send in the secondary detection team to walk across said minefield.
Secondary detection team will consist of the scum of the world, rapists, paedophiles, rap artists.....
...they will have no choice in the matter because it will be blow up or get shot (and if they make it to the otherside then we just use them again on a different part of the field!!!(then shoot them)) :rambo: :rambo: :rambo:
 
tomtom22 said:
bulldogg said:
Claymores being an exception as these are detonated by a person who can see his target.

Not exactly right. Claymores can be rigged to be set off by trip wires. At least that is how we had them set up in defense of our base camp in VietNam. Being out of the military for quite a while, I'm not sure if they still have that capability.

That is still a valid option, tomtom. We had a serious debate going on a few years ago on that issue. It is now forbidden to leave mines behind with tripwire or other "uncontrolled" fire mechanism.

I don't get it really, you can use a claymore mine against personell you see as a direct fire weapon - it is not allowed any other way... What is the difference really? The mine works the same way either option you choose! Is it more humane to see the enemy before you fire when you don't see him?
 
The idea is that if you see the target you control who gets killed. A tripline cannot determine who it kills. It, unlike you and I, cannot distinguish between combatant and 7 year old village girl coming down the path. Eyes on target saves innocent lives.
 
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