The first Ukrainian-made vehicle designed to prepare the soil for demining has been transferred to the disposal of rescuers of the State Emergency Service.
The presentation of the vehicle took place on October 27, 2023 in the Kharkiv region.
The special equipment for sappers was purchased at the expense of the regional budget of the Kharkiv region.
On October 27, the vehicle was transferred to the specialists of the Interregional Center for Humanitarian Demining and Rapid Response of the State Emergency Service.
“This is the ninth mine clearance vehicle that will operate in the Kharkiv region. But the first one of our own Kharkiv production,” said Oleh Syniehubov, Governor of Kharkiv region.
The cost of one such vehicle amounts to 5,600,000 UAH.
According to Syniehubov, the prototype has been tested for 4 months. During this period, the vehicle blew up more than 300 anti-personnel mines. It has already received a certificate of conformity, which allows for the establishment of its production and use for demining territories. It was developed by local manufacturers on the chassis of a tracked tractor of Kharkiv production.
It is noted that the vehicle is easy to manufacture, use, maintain and repair. It uses mechanisms that make it easy to restore and replace any part of its mechanism even in case of damage from hitting an anti-tank mine.
The Kharkiv-made equipment works remotely, at a distance of 300 meters, eliminating any threat for people.
To operate the vehicle, a remote control is used. The total weight of the machine reaches 16 tons, and the operational speed is 3-4 km/h. It is able to “neutralize 95% of all mines”.
The operator training will last several weeks. After that, the equipment will work on the most mine-littered areas in the Kharkiv region.
By the end of November, the rescuers of the State Emergency Service will receive another such soil preparation vehicle purchased at the expense of the Kharkiv regional budget.