Thursday January 27, 2022
The Russian military’s International Mine Action Centre (IMAC) is training servicemen from Djibouti on the Uran-6 mine clearance vehicle.
The Russian Ministry of Defence on 24 January said a group of eight foreign specialists has started a training course on ‘robotics and special works’ at the IMAC in Nakhabino near Moscow.
“The training of foreign servicemen is carried out by experienced teachers of the International Mine Action Centre who have combat experience in mine clearance. The training course will last until 10 April and will end with a final exam with the acceptance of credits and the issuance of a certificate of completion of the established sample,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said.
The Uran-6 is an unmanned demining system based on the Croatian MV-4 Dok-Ing mine-clearing robot. The demining robot can be deployed in mine reconnaissance and area clearance operations to detect and remove explosive ordnance and anti-personnel/anti-tank mines. The operator can control it from up to a kilometre away.
The Uran-6 has been deployed by the Russian military to Syria and Chechnya since 2016. It is being offered on the international market.
The tracked vehicle weighs around six tons and has a length of 4.45 metres. Four video cameras provide operator with 360° field-of-view of the operating area in the front and rear.
The Uran-6 can be equipped with a number of operating tools including five different mine sweeping devices to detect and detonate mines, including a bulldozer blade, tong-type gripper, solid roller and Katkov demining trawl.
A 240 hp diesel engine provides a mine-clearing speed of 2km/h and maximum speed of 5km/h. Endurance is up to five hours.