It is estimated that there are 110 million unexploded landmines in the world, buried in almost 70 countries. These hidden devices pose a deadly threat, as evidenced by the more than 5,700 victims (mostly civilians) last year, with Ukraine currently the most contaminated country.
Another of the most “contaminated” countries in this sense is South Korea with between 1 and 2 million unexploded land mines, concentrated mainly in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)heavily mined. This area is considered one of the most mined regions in the world, and both North and South Korea have laid mines to deter unauthorized crossing.
To try to prevent any future damage, Northrop Grumman has delivered the first sensor module of the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) to South Korea. This system is expected to boost Seoul’s mine detection solutions.
The ALMDS It is capable of offline day and night operations, allowing it to achieve high area search rates and provide users with precise geolocation of targets to facilitate the neutralization of mines detected from various helicopter platforms.
To do this, it uses pulsed laser light and beam tube receivers, housed in an external equipment capsule, to obtain images of the entire near-surface volume that could contain mines. The ALMDS is capable of conducting day or night operations without stopping to unload or retrieve equipment, or tow it in the water.
With anchorless operations, you can achieve high area search rates. This design takes advantage of the forward motion of the aircraft to generate image data, eliminating the need for complex scanning mechanisms and ensuring high system reliability. The ALMDS also provides precise geolocation of the target to facilitate subsequent neutralization of detected mines, according to a press release.
The system works as follows. It first emits a pulsed laser that acts like laser sonar, then records reflections from objects, such as mines. The next step is data processing. The system receives the mirrored data and converts it into a computer-enhanced video image to determine if an object is a mine.
When mounted on a helicopter, the movement of the aircraft allows generating a very wide scanning area, eliminating the need for mechanical scanners and facilitating faster operation and efficient. Finally, the collected data creates a detailed 3D topographic view, including the shape, size and location of potential mines.
In operations, the ALMDS can be integrated into the MH-60S helicopter to provide rapid wide area reconnaissance and the assessment of mine threats in littoral zones, confined straits and amphibious objective areas for the Aircraft Carrier and Expeditionary Strike Groups (CSG/ESG).