Proof of Performance Test Report MANTIS
Abstract
During two weeks in August 2004, the Mine Clearing Survivable Vehicle (MCSV) and a complement of 12 demining and area preparation tools were evaluated under an internationally conducted Performance Evaluation Assessment. Led by the U. S. Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Humanitarian Demining Branch (HD), the assessment was conducted by HD staff members and supported by engineers from the United Kingdom under the auspices of the International Evaluation Test Program for Humanitarian Demining (ITEP). The test was conducted at a U.S. Army development test site in central Virginia. The MCSV is an armored John Deere farming tractor with mine-blast survivable SETCO tires and a 1800 rotating, armored driver's cab. The MCSV and the tools, 2 designed for mine clearing and 10 commercial off-the-shelf vegetation removal and site preparation tools, were procured from Pearson Engineering, Ltd, in the UK, by the NVESD HD program. The results of the performance demonstration assessment clearly show, for the soil and vegetation within the limits of that found at the test site, that a single prime mover (the MCSV) with a well thought-out selection of tools can prepare an area for demining, remove antipersonnel (AP) and antitank (AT) mines, and leave an area ready for quality assurance proofing and subsequent use. Survivability against AP mine blasts for the MCSV, the operator, the mine roller, and the SETCO tires was demonstrated by detonating 250 gram (1/2 pound) TNT charges initiated by a small AP mine under the mine roller and SETCO tires of a moving MCSV. The ability to detonate most AP mines with the mine roller and remove AT mines with the Rotary Mine Comb was demonstrated in simulated minefields in moderate to heavy vegetation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA478055
Entities
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses