Ukrainian agricultural holding Nibulon receives first mine-clearing machine from Swiss demining company

Ukraine's agricultural company Nibulon has announced the delivery of the GCS-200 tracked demining platform made by Swiss company Global Clearance Solutions on its website.

Nibulon will receive four of these cutting-edge demining machines, each capable of clearing an area equivalent to a football field in a single day. 

What is the problem?

The company has already announced it would take several years to clear its field from Russian landmines planted during the full-scale war while plowing the soil will cost up to $2,000 per hectare.

Back in February of this year, Mykolaiv-based Nibulon launched a new atypical business line of being a mine clearance operator.

Considering the need to create an internal demining expertise against the background of 25.5 thousand hectares of Nibulon's land bank being mined, the company realized that it could be useful to the market as a whole to offer relevant services to farmers and the state, the press release said.

What is the solution?

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and the state bank funded the order for demining machines.

The Swiss facility has already sent the first of the four ordered GCS-200 demining machines, ensuring its commissioning.

How does it work?

The machines eliminate explosive threats, restore agricultural land for economic purposes, and ensure the safety of civilian infrastructure.

Exceptional traction and maneuverability in challenging terrains are achieved through a continuously variable hydrostatic drive, independently controlled for each track, and hydraulic motors powered by Allison transmission power take-offs.

The machine's modern components and high-strength materials are designed to withstand the harshest climatic conditions.

The manipulator, capable of lifting heavy objects, empowers the operator to extract items weighing 650 and 2,000 kg from the ground.

Equipped with various tools for disposing of improvised explosive devices and removing unexploded ordnance, this manipulator enables the excavation of ordnance, their capture, and lifting, pushing them with an integrated bulldozer blade and disassembling them into manageable parts.

 The remote control range varies from 300 to 3,500 meters, depending on the specific configuration and working conditions.

Nibulon is one of Ukraine's largest agricultural producers and exporters. The holding's investments in the Ukrainian economy in 2021 amounted to more than $2.3 billion.

The company is committed to demining territories after Russia's warfare. In May 2023, Nibulon started setting up its own mine-clearing unit and recruiting sappers.