India to install Hi-tech minefield protection system at the Pakistan border

An Indian company has rolled out the Mechanical Minefield Marking Equipment Mk-II prototype to help the Indian Army demarcate minefields located close to the Pakistan border. The Minefield Marking Equipment Mk-II is designed to operate in the plains of Indian Punjab and the semi-desert and desert regions of Rajasthan in all weather conditions.

Minefield marking provides immediate warning signs for people moving in or nearby hazardous areas. Marking is done with the help of pickets and ropes on the pickets and provides a physical barrier to distinguish between known danger areas and the ones deemed safe.

“The equipment is capable of marking/fencing at a minimum rate of 1.2 km/hr with an inter-picket spacing of 15m. The system has the capability to place the pickets at 10-35 meters, spacing in the step of 5m. The picket can be driven to a maximum depth of 450mm by this system,” BEML said in a statement.

The tensions between the two neighbours keep flaring up occasionally, and both countries spend billions of dollars each year to upgrade their defence capabilities against each other.

Source: The Week