RE: Obstacles, Part 3

John spake thusly upon matters weighty: 

> >I'll use a cloud bomb loaded with anti-mine nanites which will scour 
> >through the dirt and detonate the mines by getting inside. Or find a 
> 
> Interesting idea.  I don't know how much nanite technology is assumed 
> in the Dirtside/Full Thrust background.  I mean, we don't have little 
> armor-eating nanite, or man-eating nanites.

And yet we have grav tech, when I'd guess we're closer to nanites (we 
have some now) than we are to gravitational control (since we still 
aren't sure its a theoretical possibility). 
 
> >way of generating a huge 'slightly subsurface' shockwave to set them 
> 
> Yeah.  And while you're burying explosives. . . 

Heh. Point taken. 
 
> I think I'm being damn generous assuming idiot-proof GPR is going to
be 
> available.  I should make you clear mines by hand.

Hmm. You're an engineer. You and I both know, for every step one way, 
someone takes a step on the other side. I think the task will still 
be irritating, slow, and dangerous, but it won't be impossible.  

> Grav vehicles in high mode (unless using Traveller grav where high
mode 
> is suborbital. . . ) are still quite vulnerable to SFF.

SFF?
 
I know they are vulnerable to things. I'm just suggesting that their 
are countermeasures to every measure. And that for every neat trick 
we can imagine.... there is another one to counter it. 

How about?

Detection of mines using mass densitometers (grav tech?). 
Detonation of mines using a vehicular mine sweep that generates a 
huge EM field that may set off some types of mines. 
Cancelling of ground pressure using Grav tech so forcing mines to 
detonate with other sensors which can be spoofed.
Sweeping of mines using robots (if not nanites). 
Having all engineers wear light PA for speed and strength. 

or on the other side

Mobile smartmines that move around?
Mines that have limited AI to resist sweeping...
Mines that utilize SFB 'Captor' tech - have target tracking and 
weapons so they are an active hunter rather than a sit and wait
Sentry guns (a la aliens)?

Anyway, there are more ideas out there than you and I can cover, and 
I'm sure neither of us can cover an exhaustive ROE or tactical 
doctrine for the deployment of such tech. I think this will be a work 
in progress - never truly finished - as I suspect continuing changes 
will show us new and different things we never thought of. 

:) Tom.  
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