The HALO Trust

Road threat reduction

Anti-tank mines laid in roads can create acute access problems for aid and trade long after conflicts have passed.

The resultant stranglehold on road movement has put pressure on mineclearance operators such as HALO to find solutions.  HALO has developed Road Threat Reduction (RTR) as a workable and cost effective way to open up access, where the threat is from metal and plastic anti-tank mines laid in relatively low densities.  RTR is most simply described as systematic search at a practical speed. 

RTR is considered as a solution when the need for access is very high but where deployment of conventional mineclearance assets would be very expensive and thus unlikely to be realised.  RTR is not full clearance - It is at best a serious attempt to locate as many anti-tank mines as possible in order to remove them before serious incidents occur. The aim of RTR is to open up emergency access routes; peripheral work on verges will normally be left for a later date.

RTR consists of three components.  1:  A vehicle mounted metal locator to detect metal anti-tank mines down to 50cm below the road surface.  2: Vehicle towed detonation trailers designed to exert pressure on as much of the road surface as is practicably possible. Each trailer is weighted in order to deliberately detonate mines. The “sacrificial” wheels on these trailers are designed to be blown off and then replaced relatively quickly in order for operations to continue.  Both the locator and the detonation trailers make several overlapping passes over the road surface.  3: Manual deminers to conduct follow-up and work on any “skip areas” not fully covered by both the vehicle mounted locator and the detonation trailers. For example, narrow bridge abutments, metal piping or large/deep pot-holes.

Accessibility, or the lack of it, affects almost everyone and therefore HALO recognises the need to coordinate RTR activities with national and provincial authorities and the full spectrum of the UN, IOs and NGOs in prioritising work on roads.  In Angola, where RTR was initially developed, HALO has threat reduced 5,196 kilometres of suspect road.