Re: Anti-armor mines!

>Richard spake thusly upon matters weighty: 
>
>> On 25 Aug 98 at 11:01, Thomas Barclay wrote:
>> 
>> > Possibly the same tech as ultrasonic imagers and MRI machines.
>> > Something that can image map the ground ahead of you.... and thus
>> > you can detect mines by their different density properties which
are
>> > thus pretty hard to make in such a way as to fool the detectors. 
>> 
>> Make 'em look like rocks, visually, and density wise.
>
>Well, it occurs to me that you need
>1. a case
>2. a charge
>3. shrapnel or a penetrator depending on function (could be case 
>related)
>4. an initiatior and trigger
>5. potentially, sensors
>
>The idea of being able to make these all of the same density, 
>electrical characteristics, and appearance as earth or rock strikes 
>me as nigh impossible. The modern MS gear would have MRI style tech, 
>Ground Penetrating radar, some sort of EM detector (pick up 
>batteries, currents, etc. in sensors and actuators), and maybe an 
>integrated chem sniffer. You'd be able to see through the ground and 
>get a good idea what is up ahead. 
 
Great! Crank up your ground-pen radar. Some of my smart mines
detect it and fire small, HE anti-radar missiles. (They're small,
but there's a bunch of them!) Now you're back to the grunt with
the belt knife.
 
- Sam
 
>Now, the issue (as usual) is when your infantry has to cross a 
>minefield but no engineers with cool kit like this are around... then 
>we're back to the same old 'poke in the sand' methods used for time 
>immemorial..... and some mines will detonate when poked. 
>
>Tom.  
>/************************************************
>Thomas Barclay 	      
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________________________________________
Samuel Reynolds
http://www.primenet.com/~reynol
reynol@primenet.com
samuel_reynolds@csgsystems.com