The Shielder minelaying system was used by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

to create anti-tank barriers quickly. The system was based on the American

Alliant Techsystems Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) was an American aerospace, defense, and sporting goods company with its headquarters in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. The company operated in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and other countries. ATK's ...

Volcano mine system The M136 Volcano Vehicle-Launched Scatterable Mine System is an automated mine delivery system developed by the United States Army in the 1980s. The system uses prepackaged mine canisters which contain multiple anti-personnel (AP) and/or anti- ...

. It was ordered in 1995 and first deployed in 1999. The system consists of up to 40 dispensers, each containing 6 mines, mounted on the flat bed version of the

Alvis Stormer The Alvis Stormer is a military armoured vehicle manufactured by the British company Alvis Vickers, now BAE Systems Land & Armaments. The Stormer is a development of the CVR(T) family of vehicles (Scorpion, Scimitar, Spartan etc.), essentially ...

tracked armoured fighting vehicle. The dispensers can launch mines to the sides and rear of the vehicle as it proceeds. Each mine has a programmable life, after which they

self-destruct A self-destruct is a mechanism that can cause an object to destroy itself or render itself inoperable after a predefined set of circumstances has occurred. Self-destruct mechanisms are typically found on devices and systems where malfunction could ...

. A dispenser control unit provides fire signals, testing and arming of the self-destruct mechanism. Twenty-nine Shielder systems were in service with the British Army in 2009. In 2013/14 it was revealed that the system was removed from active service.Ministry of Defence: Annual Report and Accounts 2013-2014
gov.uk

References

External links

* Anti-tank mines Post–Cold War military equipment of the United Kingdom Area denial weapons Minelayers Land mines of the United Kingdom {{Landmine-stub