News Issue 3 – 2010

Inside this issue: MineWolf Systems operational

MineWolf Systems in Northern operational in Northern In June MineWolf Systems were given a new Systems has the mechanical asset and me- Sudan 1 twelve month contract to operate and main- chanical operating team on the ground. The tain the UN MineWolf in the North of Sudan. team is working well together. It is the first MineWolf machines After five years of operating in Southern time TDI has worked with a MineWolf and aid Border Security in Sudan, this is the first time a MineWolf ma- following their accreditation in early July, the Tajikistan 1 chine has worked in the North. The contract grouping is now operational. links MineWolf Systems and The Develop- “We have been looking forward to an op- Mini MineWolf demonstrates ment Initiative (TDI) as contract partners. TDI portunity to work with and get some hands productivity in Cyprus 2 is managing the contract and supplying the on experience of the MineWolf solutions and manual and medical support whilst Minewolf although it’s early days we are thrilled with the professionalism of the team, the service UXB International support offered and the machine itself” said uses the Mini MineWolf Hugh Morris, Director of TDI. in Afghanistan 3 The machine is working initially in Hamash Korieb in Kassala State. It will remain there Updates from the Balkans 4 for the next 3 months until about October when the rains will be coming to an end and then it will move to operations in Blue Nile NPA continues to use State based out of the TDI HQ there in Ad their Mini MineWolf to assist Damazin. communities in Bosnia 5 MW370 operating in Northern Sudan

MineWolf products attract Interest at Defence Exhibitions 6 MineWolf machines aid Border Security in Tajikistan

MineWolf Systems has been working with the border in the district of Pyanj where the OSCE Organisation for the Security and Cooperation Tajik Mechanical Team undertook in Europe (OSCE) and the US Government to a four week operator and mechanic training equip and train mechanical demining teams course conducted by MineWolf Systems. to secure the border between Tajikistan and The mechanical demining team consists of Afghanistan. The aim of the border clear- both professional, and conscript soldiers from ance operation is to remove the existing anti- the Tajik Army, on secondment to the OSCE. personnel minefields along the border with Afghanistan so as to make the region safer and to ensure that the border can be correct- ly and safely policed by the Tajikistan Border Guards. The Tajikistan border region contains some 607 anti-personnel minefields that will all eventually be cleared. The Mini MineWolf arrived in Dushanbe, OSCE Mechanical Demining Team completing the Tajikistan in April 2010, and was moved to the MineWolf Operator/Mechanic Training Course

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Border Area for Clearance

Training to operate and maintain the Mini MineWolf

Operating in extreme dust Operating in the Border Region Checking Tiller after multiple conditions detonations

Mini MineWolf demonstrates productivity in Cyprus

In April a Mini MineWolf with a tiller attach- clearance project that is run by Group 4 Se- ment was contracted along with MineWolf curity (Ordnance Management). Systems’ full service package for a twelve In July the Mini MineWolf completed the first month period to conduct clearance of ‘the batch of minefield verification which includ- green line’, the UN Buffer Zone between the ed seven minefields in total. During this pe- Presenting the Mini MineWolf to Greek and Turkish parts of the island. The riod the MineWolf Systems staff enabled the UN peace-keepers machine is being fully operated by MineWolf machine to produce an average output of Systems’ staff for the twelve month contract 4,500 – 5,000 square metres of processed period as the mechanical component of a land per day, losing just one day in three

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months due to maintenance requirements. Once the next phase of work begins, the Mini MineWolf will swiftly follow up after the manual deminers carrying out the verifica- tion work required to enable the land to be safely used again.

Mini MineWolf in Cyprus

Mini MineWolf in action along the ‘Green line’

UXB International uses the Mini MineWolf in Afghanistan By Chris Thompson, Mechanical Demining Manager, UXB International, Bagram Airforce Base, Afghanistan

UXB International purchased a Mini MineWolf in March 2010 to operate on our Afghanis- tan operations. The machine was flown di- rectly into Bagram Airbase in April accom- panied on all flights by myself, as UXB’s Mechanical Demining Manager. A full work- shop and spares package was also pur- chased and shipped to Afghanistan, and the machine will soon be fitted with the MineWolf camera system to enable the remote opera- tion of the machine in otherwise difficult areas Mini MineWolf loaded onto transport frame such as the many gullies encountered around in Luxemburg Bagram.

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The Mini MineWolf has been sent directly into operations within Bagram Airforce Base on the US Army Corps of Engineers contract held by UXB International. The main part of the contract is to clear a substantial area of land to the East of the Airbase to allow the base to safely expand its operational ability in the area. We have trained up on site a 4-man opera- tions team of Zimbabwean staff who will oper- ate and carry out all the daily routines required to keep the machine operational in the harsh conditions experienced in Afghanistan. Hot dusty conditions at Bagram Airbase

The main problem we have encountered working within Bagram airbase are all the old wire fences which had originally been used by the Russian forces to mark the defen- sive minefields laid during their occupation. After the Russians withdrew from Afghani- stan the local people removed all the metal posts from the ground for use in other ar- eas, leaving the barbed wire on the ground to become overgrown over time. The wire is Mini MineWolf operator training ground almost impossible to spot by the machine operator and occasionally will get wrapped The Mini MineWolf has already completed around the machine’s rotor; a small inconve- one task within the airbase and is now well nience which has to be dealt with but does on its way with the second tasking. The not cause a big problem to operations. machine has encountered a large anti-per- sonnel minefield and has already detonated At UXB, we are very pleased with the ma- a great number of PMN and PMN2 mines chine’s capabilities and hope to carry on with no operational time lost whatsoever. utilizing the machine’s speed and ability to The current taskings for the machine include clear areas which would otherwise have to clearing one area for a new road bridge to be done using other techniques such as be built over a gully and a second area for a manual demining, which is slow and poten- new irrigation plant to be constructed inside tially dangerous to the manual deminers in the base. the operation.

Update from the Balkans

The Croatian company Mina Plus has just owned by NPA in , purchased their first Mini MineWolf machine. a total of eight machines are operating in This will be the sixth MineWolf product in the Balkan region, supported by MineWolf , where three MineWolf machines, two Systems’ Regional Office in Brcko, Bosnia. Mini MineWolfs and a MineWolf are already Mina Plus Mini MineWolf in Croatia operational. Along with the two machines

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Unseasonal weather conditions hampered demining operations in both Croatia and Bosnia at the end of June. The severe flood- ing in the Slavonia region of Croatia and in northern Bosnia ground all demining opera- tions to a halt for one week, causing unwel- come downtime for demining organisations in what is usually their peak season.

Vice-President Adlesic interviewed by Croatian TV where MW370 is working

The MineWolf machines have been observed in action by the Croatian Vice-President, Đura Adleši during a recent field visit to Gorice in Dragalic municipality in Slavonia where MKA-Deming was operating with its Flooding around NPA’s base in Loncari MineWolf machine.

NPA continues to use their Mini MineWolf to assist communities in Bosnia

NPA are using their MineWolf machine for According to the BHMAC, it is estimated that technical survey and mine clearance activi- there are still approximately 300 anti-person- ties within the Integrated Community Mine nel and 90 anti-tank mines within 4.8 sq km of Mini MineWolf in action Action Plan for the highly impacted commu- suspected hazardous area in the community. nity Gornji Vuksic in the Brcko District of Bos- The social, economic and environmental im- nia and Herzegovina. pact of landmines in the Gornji Vuksic com- Through this project, the Bosnian Mine Ac- munity is severe. Many destroyed houses, tion Centre (BHMAC) has selected six tasks the loss of fertile agricultural land and blocked for mine clearance and technical survey op- access to electricity are among the most se- erations with a total area of 602,957 sq m as rious effects for returnees and for the rural priorities for intervention in 2010. development of the community.

Mini MineWolf conducting technical survey around houses for returnees

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Mine clearance and technical survey opera- and complete the return of refugees and tions of mine suspected areas will ensure the displaced people so long after the war has safe use of arable land and reconstruction of ended. devastated houses with the aim to improve For further information on NPA’s activities go the living conditions of people in this area to http://www.npa-bosnia.org

MineWolf products attract Interest at Defence Exhibitions

In June, MineWolf Systems demonstrated On 23 and 24 June, MineWolf Systems their products at two major military exhibi- exhibited for the first time at the UK event tions and attracted significant interest from called DVD, hosted by the UK’s Defence various military visitors. From 14–18 June, Equipment and Support (DE&S). In contrast MineWolf Systems exhibited at the Eurosato- to Eurosatory, this was an outside event and Robotic arm displayed at Eurosatory ry Exhibition in Paris, billed as ‘Gathering the World Defence Market for the World Refer- ence Exhibition’. The MineWolf stand hosted a range of existing and potential customers from the military markets examining the re- mote-controlled Mini MineWolf machine and tiller attachment on show. The new robotic arm attachment was also on display and was of particular interest to militaries dealing with the challenges of improvised explosive de- vices (IEDs). Global Headquarters, MineWolf Systens stand at DVD International Sales & Operations Office there was an opportunity to demonstrate the MineWolf Systems AG robotic arm actually working. Visitors were Seedammstrasse 3 invited to see the arm, which was mounted 8808 Pfäffikon SZ on a Mini MineWolf, picking up objects of Switzerland various shapes and sizes, simulating the Phone +41 (0) 555 111 500 precision movements required to pick up a Fax +41 (0) 555 111 599 bomb or improvised explosive device. Once Tiller attachment at the MineWolf stand again there was considerable interest in the products. Manufacturing, Training & Logistics Office MineWolf Systems AG Winterspürer Strasse 17–19 78333 Stockach Germany

Phone +49 (0) 7771 914 36 10 Fax +49 (0) 7771 914 36 22 [email protected] www.minewolf.com

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