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The anti-personnel obstacle breaching system (APOBS) is an explosive line charge system that allows safe breaching through complex antipersonnel obstacles, particularly fields of
Demonstration video from NammoPicatinny Arsenal Products – CounterminesAPOBS Mk 7 Mod 2 PresentationEBA-D
Mine warfare countermeasures Anti-fortification weapons Military equipment introduced in the 2000s
The anti-personnel obstacle breaching system (APOBS) is an explosive line charge system that allows safe breaching through complex antipersonnel obstacles, particularly fields of land mine
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...
s. The APOBS is a joint DOD program for the U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
and the United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
.
History
The anti-personnel obstacle breaching system originated as an operational requirements document published by the US Army Engineer School, Fort Leonard Wood, MO. The joint requirements document was signed by the Army and the Marines in April 1994. The system was developed by the United States ArmyResearch, Development and Engineering Command
The Combat Capabilities Development Command, (DEVCOM, aka CCDC) (formerly the United States Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM)) is a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. RDECOM was tasked with "creatin ...
– Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center
The United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center (CCDCAC), or Armaments Center, headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, is the US Army's primary research and development arm for armaments and munitions. ...
(RDECOM-ARDEC), Picatinny Arsenal
The Picatinny Arsenal ( or ) is an American military research and manufacturing facility located on of land in Jefferson and Rockaway Townships in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, encompassing Picatinny Lake and Lake Denmark. The ...
, New Jersey, and produced by Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense. During preliminary test and evaluation, the original explosive grenade attachment scheme proved inadequate, resulting in program delay and the Naval Surface Warfare Center sponsoring a complete line-charge analysis and manufacturing redesign. The subsequently proposed and highly successful woven nylon over-wrap is currently employed on the Mk 7 Mod 1, fielded in 2002, and the Mod 2 fielded in 2006.
Use
The APOBS is used to conduct deliberate or hasty breaches through enemy antipersonnel minefields and multi-strand wire obstacles. It is light enough to be carried by two soldiers with backpacks and can be deployed within two minutes. Once set in place, the APOBS rocket is fired from a 35-meter standoff position, sending the line charge with fragmentation grenades over a minefield or wire obstacle. The grenades neutralize or clear the mines and sever the wire, clearing a 45-meter-long footpath for troops. The APOBS replaces theBangalore torpedo
A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially ...
, which is heavier when all sections are used together, takes significantly longer to set up, and cannot be deployed from a standoff position. It reduces the number of soldiers required to carry and employ the system to two, as opposed to as many as 12 for a Bangalore torpedo using all sections.
The 125-pound system includes these features:
*Delay and command firing modes
*Deployable within 90 seconds
*Deployable from a 35-meter standoff
*Clears antipersonnel mines and complex wire obstacles
*Clears a footpath up to 1 meter by 45 meters
As a certified insensitive munition
'Insensitivity' (sensi'tivitē) refers to a lack of sensitivity (human), sensitivity for other's feelings. It may also refer to:
* Insensitive (song), "Insensitive" (song), a 1995 song by Canadian singer Jann Arden
* Insensitive (House), ''Insensi ...
, the APOBS is safe to employ and transport.
Current usage
The U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps have used the APOBS to clear improvised explosive devices in southern Afghanistan.See also
*Giant Viper
The Giant Viper was a trailer-mounted, vehicle-pulled, mine clearance system, designed to be deployed in areas containing land mines. It was developed for the British Army in the 1950s. It was designed to be towed behind a Centurion gun tank, FV400 ...
– a vehicle-launched mine clearance system
* Mine-clearing line charge
A mine-clearing line charge (abbreviated MCLC or MICLIC; pronounced or "mick-lick") is a device used to create a breach in minefields under combat conditions. While there are many types, the basic design is for many explosive charges connecte ...
References
{{ReflistExternal links
Demonstration video from Nammo
Mine warfare countermeasures Anti-fortification weapons Military equipment introduced in the 2000s