American Ordnance to supply mine clearing line charge systems

American Ordnance has received a $23.2 million from the U.S. Army for mine clearing line charge systems.

Work on the contract, announced by the Department of Defense on Tuesday, will be performed in Middletown, Iowa, with an estimated completion date of December 2020. Army fiscal 2016 and 2018 procurement funds in the amount of $23.2 million were obligated at the time of award.

MICLIC is a mine clearing device used to clear a path for tanks, vehicles and personnel through minefields and other explosive hazards.

The line charge is fired over the minefield by a Mk22 5-inch rocket and then detonated, clearing an area 100 meters long and eight meters wide, enough for a column vehicle convoy to pass through.

The M58 MICLIC is designed to counter single pulse, pressure fuzed mines. Other types of anti-vehicle mines designed for proximity or magnetic interference might not be affected by the charge.

The MICLIC system consists of M353 3.5 ton or M200A1 2.5 ton trailers or a M200 tracked trailer, an M147 firing kit, an M58A3 line charge and a 5-inch MK22 Mod 4 rocket system to propel the line.

The line charge is 350 feet long and contains C-4 plastic explosives. It uses concussive effects to detonate mines, allowing vehicles and personnel to pass through narrow lanes through the field.

Land mines have been largely banned through throughout the world through treaty but are still in U.S. use at the Korean DMZ and by many other countries.

The United Nations has attempted to stop their use due to potential civilian casualties following a conflict. According to UNICEF, between 15,000 and 20,000 people are killed, injured or otherwise affected by landmines each year.

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