Proposed Land Warrior Helmet Knuckle Reduces Strain, Enables Replacement

19 Sep 03

In 1998, President Clinton committed the United States to cease using the most dangerous forms of anti-personnel mines by 2003.  In response, the US Army funded an Alliant Techsystems (ATK) initiative to develop mines that reduce collateral damage.

To support design and engineering for the alternative landmine, ATK enlisted Minnesota Defense.  Minnesota Defense will assist with the development of the alternative landmine's grenade launcher electrical interconnect as well as the battery's carriage and electrical interface.

The alternative landmine uses a man-in-the-loop design to enable an operator to turn a minefield on or off.  As a result, the mines are less likely to result in accidental injuries or deaths after a battle.

In addition, the alternative landmine's design calls for the use of durable materials that degrade slowly.  As a result, environmental factors are less likely to damage the landmines and make them dangerous to non-combatants.

Figure 1: The alternative landmine can disperse a variety of projectiles including grenades.  The antenna enables the landmine to communicate with an operator.		Figure 2: Minnesota Defense designed the alternative landmine's battery carriage and electrical interface.		Figure 3: Minnesota Defense also designed the grenade launcher's electrical interconnect system.