Solutions to win: Ukrainian company introduces revolutionary demining machine for low and medium vegetation areas

Rover Tech's Ukrainian demining machine "Zmiy" ["snake" in English – ed.] can work in low and medium vegetation conditions and is capable of destroying anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, as well as removing tripwires.

The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine reports that.

What is the problem?

Ukraine currently has 142,000 square kilometers of potentially hazardous land that must be cleared through humanitarian demining efforts.

This poses a significant cost to the country, with annual losses of 11.2 billion dollars, equivalent to 5.6% of the GDP in 2021. According to the World Bank, an estimated $35 billion will be required to fully demine Ukraine's territory.

What is the solution?

The Ukrainian demining machine "Zmiy," created by Rover Tech, recently completed its test with great success.

It is designed to operate in areas with low to medium vegetation and can effectively eliminate anti-personnel and anti-tank mines and clear out tripwires.

"Today, we received not just another 100% Ukrainian demining machine. The Rover Tech team made a light, fast machine that withstands the detonation of anti-tank mines. Such innovations are Ukraine's answer to the challenge before us: to return in 10 years to the productive use of 80% of the land. It is essential that the machine is made in Ukraine because it is new jobs, income to the budget and support of the economy," the First Deputy Prime Minister – the Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko said.

How does it work?

The price of "Zmiy" is significantly lower than that of its foreign counterparts, ranging from 14,500 to nearly 20,000 dollars, depending on the model. As production ramps up, the price may decrease even further.

Deputy Minister of Economy Ihor Bezkaravainy pointed out that the "Zmiy" is a cutting-edge demining machine designed to clear fields of dangerous fragmentation and high-explosive munitions, which cause the most harm to sappers. Additionally, its ability to rapidly replace damaged components, particularly those affected by anti-tank mines, enables a quick return to the field.

The machine's weight is more than a ton, and it has a working tool width of 1.35 meters.

Thanks to its lightweight design, it can demine up to 2.5 hectares per hour. The operator can control the machine remotely from a distance of up to 2.9 km. Setting up or removing the "Zmiy" takes only 15 minutes, and the machine can easily be transported on a trailer.

For reference:

In August, demining units of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine cleared 17,368.4 hectares of de-occupied territories of explosive objects.

Additionally, it was reported that the Ukrainian company A3Tech-Ukraine had received a certificate of conformity for the MV–10 heavy demining machine. This company assembles large units and partially produces Croatian DOK–ING machines.

Furthermore, Ukrainian developers participated in the "Safe Field" hackathon, organized by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Kyiv School of Economics, where they tested their developments for mowing dense vegetation in mined areas at a training ground.