The anti-personnel obstacle breaching system (APOBS) is an
explosive line charge system that allows safe
breaching through complex antipersonnel obstacles, particularly fields of
land mine
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
s. The APOBS is a joint DOD program for the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
and the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
.
History
The anti-personnel obstacle breaching system originated as an operational requirements document published by the US Army Engineer School, Fort Leonard Wood, MO. The joint requirements document was subsequently signed by the Army and the Marines on 11 April 1994. The system was developed by the United States Army
Research, Development and Engineering Command –
Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (RDECOM-ARDEC),
Picatinny Arsenal
The Picatinny Arsenal ( or ) is an American military research and manufacturing facility located on of land in Jefferson and Rockaway Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, encompassing Picatinny Lake and Lake Denmark. The Ar ...
, New Jersey, and produced by
Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense. During preliminary test and evaluation, the original explosive grenade attachment scheme proved inadequate, resulting in program delay and the Naval Surface Warfare Center sponsoring a complete line-charge analysis and manufacturing redesign. The subsequently proposed and highly successful woven nylon over-wrap is currently employed on the Mk 7 Mod 1, fielded in 2002, and the Mod 2 fielded in 2006.
Use
The APOBS is used to conduct deliberate or hasty breaches through enemy antipersonnel minefields and multi-strand wire obstacles. It is light enough to be carried by two soldiers with backpacks and can be deployed within two minutes.
Once set in place, the APOBS rocket is fired from a 35-meter standoff position, sending the line charge with fragmentation grenades over a minefield or wire obstacle. The grenades neutralize or clear the mines and sever the wire, clearing a 45-meter-long footpath for troops.
The APOBS replaces the
Bangalore torpedo
A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially ...
, which is heavier when all sections are used together, takes significantly longer to set up, and cannot be deployed from a standoff position. It also reduces the number of soldiers required to carry and employ the system to two (as opposed to as many as 12 for a Bangalore torpedo using all sections).
The 125-pound system includes these features:
*Delay and command firing modes
*Deployable within 90 seconds
*Deployable from a 35-meter standoff
*Clears antipersonnel mines and complex wire obstacles
*Clears a footpath up to 1 meter by 45 meters
As a certified
insensitive munition
Insensitive munitions are munitions that are designed to withstand stimuli representative of severe but credible accidents. The current range of stimuli are shock (from bullets, fragments and shaped charge jets), heat (from fires or adjacent ther ...
, the APOBS is safe to employ and transport.
Current usage
The U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps have used the APOBS to clear improvised explosive devices in southern Afghanistan.
See also
*
Giant Viper The Giant Viper was a trailer-mounted, vehicle-pulled, mine clearance system, designed to be deployed in areas containing land mines. It was developed for the British Army in the 1950s. It was designed to be towed behind a Centurion gun tank, FV4003 ...
- a vehicle-launched mine clearance system
*
Mine-clearing line charge
A mine-clearing line charge (abbreviated MCLC or MICLIC and pronounced or "''mick-lick''") is used to create a breach in minefields under combat conditions. While there are many types, the basic design is for many explosive charges connected on ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
APOBS @ Global SecurityPicatinny Arsenal Products - CounterminesAPOBS Mk 7 Mod 2 PresentationEBA-D
Mine warfare countermeasures
Anti-fortification weapons
Military equipment introduced in the 2000s