JUGFAE (Jug-Contained Fuel-Air Explosive) Concept

摘要

Uncontested minefields, ones without covering enemy fire, are cleared cautiously but still cause casualties. The Jug-Contained Fuel-Air-Explosive (JUGFAE) concept does not send men into the minefield, but lets them proceed methodically from the minefield boundary. Safety and thoroughness are inherent in the setup process. The concept prescribes crane emplaced rows of plastic jugs containing detonable fuel. When fueled jugs are in place, a single large fuel-air explosion is triggered. The explosion will neutralize susceptible land mines. The 'don't cross' repeats line is moved across the neutralized area and the setup operation is repeated. The cycle repeats until the mined area is cleared. The errors in placing jugs and overlapping fuel-air clouds can be reduced so that a long line of clouds explodes. Based on 55 liters of fuel per jug, the needs are 92 jugs per km of front and a cost of about $1 per square meter. In very large minefields, jub numbers and costs are daunting. Increased cloud radius (6.2m presently) significantly reduces the needs. Keywords: Land mines; Mine clearance; Mine neutralization. (aw)