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Subject:
China's Very Special Mine Clearing Artillery
James Dunnigan
4/14/2005 11:57:19 PM
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China has adopted FAE (Fuel Air Explosives) for mine clearing. FAE is a bomb
that first spreads a mist of fuel (gasoline type stuff, or a mixture of other
chemicals) and then ignites it. This creates a large, impressive looking,
explosion, as well as a powerful blast (called overpressure). It is the
overpressure that sets off landmines, as the pressure created on the ground
triggers the pressure sensors on anti-personnel and anti-tank mines. The Chinese
have developed FAE warheads for most of their MLRS (multiple launch rocket
systems), up to the 425mm caliber ones. There are also portable ones, that look
like an RPG, and mortar shells with FAE as well. The larger MLRS can be used to
quickly clear a long lane (several kilometers long) through a mined area. The
Chinese also note the effect of FAE on enemy troops as well, and plan to use
their mine clearing FAE weapons even when there are no mines, and aim them
against enemy troops. Many nations use some FAE for mine clearing, but no one
uses it as much as the Chinese. But by using FAE for both mine clearing, and
anti-personnel attacks (FAE is less effective on armored, or even unarmored,
vehicles), they have increased the effectiveness of their MLRS systems. But
using MLRS for mine clearing requires practice to do it right the first time. If
you?re depending on the MLRS FAE to clear mines for a major attack, you cannot
afford to take a chance with artillery using these FAE rockets for the first
time. So the Chinese have an MLRS artillery brigade whose main job is mine
clearing. They use large caliber mortars and MLRS to do this, and veterans of
this brigade move on to other artillery units, so as to share their experience
with FAE mine clearing.
FAE has always been tricky to use. If the wind is
blowing the wrong way, or the humidity isn?t quite right, the explosion is
something of a fizzle. But the Russians have developed new designs for FAE
weapons (which they now call "thermobaric weapons") that overcome many of these
problems, and it appears that the Chinese have gotten some of that
technology.
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