On October 1, 2024, HALO, along with the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), hosted a visit to see demining technology in action with the Army’s Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Program (HD R&D). Around 50 people were in attendance, including bipartisan Congressional staff members from the House and Senate, representatives from the State Department, and individuals from a variety of other organizations. We were also honored to be joined by Ronan Shenhav, HALO Trust Research and Development Officer, Simon Lokomo, HALO Cambodia Operations Officer, and Sophie Schilling, HALO Cambodia Deputy Program Manager, three experts on this equipment who gave valuable insight into its impact on the ground.
After opening remarks from HALO, MAG, and Ms. Jabin Vahora, Director for Policy for the State Department’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, attendees saw live demonstrations of several key pieces of demining equipment.
Rotary Mine Comb in action
Ronan Shenhav, HALO Trust Research and Development Officer, on the HSTAMIDS Detector
Demonstrations included, but were not limited to, a Rotary Mine Comb that unearthed pre-planted dummy mines, the HSTAMID detector that can differentiate landmines from other debris, and the remote-controlled PrimeTech Tiller to prepare land for clearance from a safe distance.
In addition to demonstrations, the group was able to learn about how HD R&D develops and tests specialized technologies to more safely and efficiently detect and clear landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) and meet the specific challenges deminers in each country face. This includes excavators developed for urban clearance, which HALO has deployed in Libya, and ongoing development into machines to efficiently clear Ukraine's farmland.
HD R&D equipment has been used in 44 countries since 1995, and this technology has helped clear landmines and UXO from over 26,600 acres of land. HALO has partnered with HD R&D for over 20 years. Their partnership has been vital in helping HALO deminers around the world and increases efficiency on our State Department-supported programs, ultimately saving taxpayer dollars.
FlipScreen BL-80 in action
PrimeTech Tiller in action
