MCC harvests AT mines in Xangongo
The Evaluation of a new mine clearance technology has become part of MgMs operations in the postwar Angola. The close cooperation between the German charity and the American Government (US DoD, NVESD) includes one more time the testing of a prototype demining tool. The deployment into a real mine infested aera will show the capacity - and the limitations - of the concept as well as the design. A very important aim of the complex testing is to develop appropriate procedures and security guide lines for the new machinery which is supposed to be deployed worldwide. The project has a running time of 15 month. Ops area are the AT-minebelts around the city of Xangongo, Angola. Years ago during the civil war the area has been demined already in a way which is today considered as insufficient. So the test of the MCC is a necessary re-check of a demined area at the same time.The Evaluation of a new mine clearance technology has become part of MgMs operations in the postwar Angola. The close cooperation between the German charity and the American Government (US DoD, NVESD) includes one more time the testing of a prototype demining tool. The deployment into a real mine infested aera will show the capacity - and the limitations - of the concept as well as the design. A very important aim of the complex testing is to develop appropriate procedures and security guide lines for the new machinery which is supposed to be deployed worldwide. The project has a running time of 15 month. Ops area are the AT-minebelts around the city of Xangongo, Angola. Years ago during the civil war the area has been demined already in a way which is today considered as insufficient. So the test of the MCC is a necessary re-check of a demined area at the same time.
A short description of the MCC
The MCC (Mine Clearance Cultivator) is build to perform wide area mine clearance to remove AT (and some AP) mines from the soil. The MCC works on the principle of a cultivator and potato harvester. A heavy tine attachment is fitted which rips open the ground in front of the machine and lifts out AT mines and discharges them to the side of the machine for de-arming and disposal using normal Demining techniques.
The challenge
Logistics for this trial are quite extensive with over 90 tons of equipment being transported by several trucks from Walvis Bay to the MgM Base in Ondjiva. Material handling on the Angolan side is not quite as easy as in the sea port however, and local ingenuity was employed to manipulate the load into the MgM maintenance facilities in Ondjiva
The MCC was deployed from Ondjiva to Xangongo within one day.
The transport from the MgM central camp Ondjiva to the operational camp Xangongo had the normal problems like missing VHF, a flat tire and a burst hydraulic pipe which were overcome by the MgM crew.
Containers and welding machine were placed in the camp which was found in good order. There was fuel, electricity and water (even hot showers). It took only a few hours to unload the MCC, its additional equipment and reset the tool into an operational state.
13 November 2002:
Initial tests on day one on a large area next to the camp showed the system functioning well, but slow. The extremely hard bakened top layer of the so called Shanas (wide areas which become overflooded during rainy season) differs significantly from US DoDs sandy test area in AP Hill. Washington D.C. After performing two rows of approximately 500 meters, the results and possible improvements of the procedures, necessary security distances etc.were discussed and determined by the MgM-OPS director Hendrik Ehlers.
14 November 2002:
On the second day the crew moved the system into a real minefield some 3kms away from the camp. This mine suspected area has been inspected by MgM Deminers before, as well as by Sean Burke and Charley Chichester, US DoD.
Although the ground was very hard, the system made good progress.
Most important point elaborate were the position of the Cougar. The MCC is driven remote controlled with the help of a sophisticated Video System (CCTV). The MCC Operator handles the control levers in front of some flatscreens built in a mineprotected vehicle (the mentioned Cougar) from a safe distance.
First step is the creation of a safe base line, behind of which the MCC can be turned and maintained without any danger.
As the machine layed minebelts are not following a straight line, but in slight curves break-out-of-lane procedures had to be fixed. Another important result of the first operational day was the definition of crew comms.
The procedure now is as follows.
In a new segment first a baseline three working lanes wide has to be made breaching the entire width of the mine belt (30m) plus safety overlap.
The machine then creates a 200m long lane that includes the curvage of the minefield plus safety. The dozer returns in his own tracks, the berms are checked by the EOD Team, the MCC crew rests. All following lanes are made parallel to the first one until a block covering the entire minefield has been created.
The work will be done in two shifts of four hours each not regarding maintenance, preparation and transport time.
Exact safety distances, overlaps, sentries etc will be defined within the first 10 days of operational trial.
Stay in tune. We will report continously.
4 December 2002:
Quite unusual for that time of the year the beginning of december brought considerable amounts of rain in southern Africa. The population - mostly dependent on agriculture and cattle farming - is very happy about that.
Because of the now flooded so called Shanas the MCC operations must stop. This means at the same time a slightly prolonged annual Xmas holiday for the MCC-Crew which will continue the project around the 15 january 2003.
Hendrik Ehlers, Director of MgM plans then to take over the management of the operation in Xangongo personally to make sure the project reaches its goals within the estimated time .
Stay in tune. We will report continously
