Marines unveil improved mine-clearing technology

The obstacle-clearing system was demonstrated at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. A rocket is fired, with a trailing 150-foot line with explosives that clears a 2-foot wide path. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

Allen DeLong straps on the pack containing the Antipersonnel Obstacle Breaching System. The system, which weighs 130 pounds, can be employed in two minutes.

Marines survey the path cleared by APOBS. Compared with bangalore charges, the new system allows Marines to keep a safer standoff distance from the explosives. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Antipersonnel Obstacle Breaching System, or APOBS, is a portable, two-man system used to breach lanes through antipersonnel mines and wire obstacles.

The system works by firing a rocket with a 150-foot line that trails after it with attached charges.

Seconds later, the line's charges detonate, clearing a 2-foot-wide path along its length.

According to the Marine Corps, the new system is a significant improvement over bangalore torpedoes.

Weighing 130 pounds, APOBS can be employed in two minutes. One APOBS creates a breach lane equivalent to three bangalore torpedo demolition kits weighing 594 pounds and taking a squad of Marines more than 15 minutes to deploy.

The new system also allows a safer standoff distance from the charges.

Marine Corps base personnel held briefings for the community and had representatives on hand for an Aug. 15 demonstration.