“Smart” Minefields to Be Deployed in Future Combat

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US Army leaders have been looking for ways to model the future battlefield by using a network of new “smart” mines. Commanders will be able to pinpoint where the mines are via GPS so that friendly forces can know where the mines are placed in order to avoid them, but also to retrieve and reuse them when necessary.

Traditional landmines are often scattered around areas during wars and conflicts and are often left untouched, sometimes for decades. The scattered mines create minefields which years later just become fenced areas with warnings mentioning that the area is an active minefield. Traditional landmines are simply too hard to safely locate and disarm, therefore there has been an effort to develop smarter landmines, for the sake of the friendly forces and the future people that will inhabit that area.

As part of the United States Army’s Program Manager Close Combat Systems, Army officials have been looking to optimize terrain shaping obstacles, i.e. landmines. Current options for more modern landmines include remote activated landmines, such as the Modular Pack Mine System (MOPMS). MOPMS is a radio controlled mine system that can be recovered and reused. One control unit can run up to 15 MOPMS. However it is likely that enemy forces will operate radio frequency jamming during combat, thus neutralizing the threat of radio controlled mines.

Armytimes.com report that the minefields of the future battlefield must have communication capabilities between 2 and 300 kilometers. The mines must be able to be switched on or off remotely and need to have self-destruct or deactivation mechanisms. 

The futuristic mine must also have status report systems in order to alert operators if the mine has been tampered with or if it has gone off. The Army also want the mines to be able to detect and track targets, instead of just having them explode when interacting with enemy forces, this improves intelligence capabilities and reduces the likelihood of friendly fire.

The mines must be able to work under any weather condition. The Army also intends for the future mine systems to be easily operated, as well as affordable.