GCS-200 Swiss-German Demining Machines Help to Clear De-Occupied Territories of Ukraine
The press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on its Facebook page.
According to some analysts, Ukraine has become the most mined country in the world due to russian invasion and active hostilities.
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In September 2023, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that about 174,000 square kilometers of Ukraine’s territory were potentially mined. This is a huge area that may take decades to clear, but Ukraine’s goal is to do it in coming years.
An engineer battalion of Support Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will start clearing the de-occupied Ukrainian territories using the GCS-200 mechanized demining machines. As it noted, this is a Swiss-German unmanned multi-purpose platform that can be controlled remotely.
During mine clearance, explosive devices are detonated or destroyed by a working mechanism that has a number of modifications as well as used in accordance with the conditions in which it operates.
As a tracked vehicle, the GCS-200 is highly maneuverable and can be turned around with a minimum radius of approximately 4 meters.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the GCS platforms are used in more than 40 countries around the world, and have proven to be a reliable as well as effective demining tool.
Global Clearance Solutions (GCS), Swiss company announced in December of 2023 its plans to deliver 60 demining vehicles to Ukraine by mid-2024 to help in creation of safe environment, facilitation of civilian life and saving lives as well.
Donors of this assistance were the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as KfW (German state-owned investment and development bank) and its subsidiary DEG Impulse.
In May 2023, the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine announced the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with Global Clearance Solutions, Swiss company, a manufacturer of mechanized demining equipment. At the time, the GCS management announced its intention to supply about 20 demining vehicles to Ukraine this year. They will be used to clear agricultural land and critical infrastructure in the de-occupied areas of Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts from mines and unexploded munition.
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