From 20 to 23 May, the exhibition "Integrated Safety-2014" was held at the Moscow All-Russian Exhibition Center. As part of this event, more than 500 participating organizations from several countries presented their latest developments in the field of security systems and various equipment. So, MSTU them. N. E. Bauman, together with the Remdizel plant (Naberezhnye Chelny), presented the Iskatel mobile highly protected humanitarian demining complex. The new complex is designed to search for and neutralize various explosive devices, both factory and handicraft. The Seeker complex is proposed for demining in areas where hostilities have recently taken place.
The Seeker humanitarian demining complex is a wheeled chassis with an armored hull mounted on it and a set of special equipment. The KAMAZ "Voin" chassis, developed several years ago, was chosen as the basis for the demining vehicle. The chassis with a 6x6 wheel arrangement should provide the car with high driving characteristics. In addition, the characteristics of the chassis made it possible to equip the Seeker vehicle with all the necessary equipment: depending on the configuration, the equipped weight of the vehicle can reach 16, 7 or 19 tons. An ambiguous feature of the chassis is the location of the transmission units outside the armored body.
An armored body of a characteristic angular shape is installed on the base chassis of the vehicle. To simplify and reduce the cost of the design, the body is proposed to be assembled from large rectilinear armor panels connected at various angles. The available photographs clearly show that the "Seeker" body has a V-shaped bottom. In the event of a mine detonation under the wheel or hull, this shape of the bottom should reduce the impact of the shock wave on the crew and the internal units of the vehicle, moving it to the sides. It is argued that the body of the vehicle provides 3 levels of protection according to the STANAG 4569 standard and withstands the hit of an armor-piercing bullet of the 7, 62x51 mm NATO cartridge or the detonation of 8 kg of TNT under the wheel. Bulletproof protection corresponds to class 6a of the Russian standard GOST 51136-96.
In front of the hull there is an armored engine cover. Behind it is a voluminous manned compartment for the driver, commander and sappers. In the rear left part of the hull, there is a small platform for installing a manipulator crane, for which the volume of the manned compartment had to be sacrificed. In the rear hull there is a door for embarkation and disembarkation of the crew. In addition, the crew can use two hatches in the bottom for an emergency exit. For convenience and safety, steps are provided under the hatches.
The "Seeker" demining vehicle is capable of transporting a brigade of sappers. In the front part of the hull there are workplaces for the driver and commander, behind them, at the left side, there is a control post for the manipulator crane. Seats for sappers are provided along the starboard side. In total, the Seeker crew consists of nine people. Depending on the conditions, the crew can carry out demining either with the help of remotely controlled means or in person. In the first case, people are protected by the body armor and the distance between the vehicle and the explosive device.
A crane-manipulator is mounted on the rear platform of the vehicle with the ability to be controlled using a remote control inside the armored hull. For the correct operation of the crane, the Seeker machine is equipped with two outriggers. The boom of the crane-manipulator has a complex multi-link design, which provides a maximum outreach of up to 26, 7 meters. The boom head is equipped with a swivel mechanism and mounts for various equipment. The Seeker vehicle, shown at the Integrated Security 2014 exhibition, carried a conventional cargo hook, however, it is possible to use more sophisticated equipment, primarily various remotely controlled manipulators.
The use of such equipment allows the crew of the vehicle to carry out mine clearance at a safe distance. To monitor the actions of the manipulator, there are two video cameras on the rear of the armored hull and on the boom. The video signal from the cameras is displayed on the operator's monitors. Such a system allows sappers to work at a safe distance from the explosive device under the protection of the vehicle body. In this case, the crew of the vehicle will risk only a part of the equipment that is in the immediate vicinity of the object to be rendered harmless.
The information agency "Rosinformburo" quotes the words of the chief designer of the Scientific and Production Center for Special Engineering of the Moscow State Technical University. Bauman S. Popov, according to which the Seeker demining machine was developed as an alternative to complex and expensive robotic complexes of a similar purpose. According to the head of the design organization, the existing robots have serious limitations in their capabilities, primarily in mobility, and are also quite expensive. The machine "Seeker", in turn, is cheaper than other equipment, and the crew and most of the necessary equipment are protected by armor.
According to some reports, the "Iskatel" complex has already attracted the attention of potential customers. The Russian and Kyrgyz military, as well as representatives of some scientific and design organizations, showed their interest in this machine. The tests of the "Seeker" have not yet been reported, which does not allow us to talk about its real characteristics and capabilities.
So far, not as much is known about the Seeker humanitarian demining complex as we would like. Nevertheless, even the available amount of information allows us to draw some conclusions. Like many other projects, Seeker has both pros and cons. Some features of this machine will make it easier to operate and perform basic tasks, while others will make it difficult to work.
The main advantage of the project is the chassis used. The "Seeker" vehicle is made on the basis of the "Warrior" chassis of the KAMAZ plant, which affects not only the characteristics, but also the ease of maintenance. This chassis widely uses units borrowed from commercial and military KAMAZ trucks. Such equipment is actively used in Russia and a number of foreign countries, which should simplify the supply of spare parts and maintenance of the Iskatel machines. Another feature of the chassis, namely the installation of transmission and chassis assemblies outside the armored hull, is controversial. Undermining the machine on a mine is guaranteed to lead to serious damage or destruction of transmission units that are not protected by the housing. However, rebuilding the vehicle should be relatively straightforward, since the repairmen will not have to work in the limited volume of the armored hull.
The Seeker's armored hull is said to meet the requirements of level 3 of the NATO standard STANAG 4569 or class 6a of the Russian GOST 51136-96. The armor is able to protect the crew not only from bullets and shrapnel, but also from mines. It should be noted that the design of escape hatches can affect the mine resistance of the vehicle. Their location weakens the bottom of the hull, which can affect the survivability of the vehicle when a mine is blown up under the wheel or under the hull.
An unambiguously interesting and useful feature of the Seeker demining machine is the crane-manipulator installation. It allows sappers to perform the necessary manipulations with an explosive device without approaching it at a dangerous distance. In addition, the boom makes it possible to work with objects located behind any obstacles, including inside buildings. The hydraulically powered multifunctional boom is replacing the sophisticated robotic systems used for mine clearance.
The Seeker humanitarian demining complex is of particular interest to various structures that have to deal with explosive devices. The machine created at the Moscow State Technical University. Bauman and built at the Remdizel plant, can be used by engineering units of the armed forces and other organizations involved in the disposal of mines and improvised explosive devices. At the moment, the "Seeker" project is not devoid of some shortcomings, which, nevertheless, can be eliminated during refinement and testing.
The new Seeker demining vehicle was first shown at the recent Integrated Security 2014 exhibition. This means that potential customers found out about its existence only a few days ago and, apparently, have not yet decided on the need to purchase such equipment. For this reason, the further fate of the machine "Seeker" remains in question. It can interest potential customers and go into the series, but one cannot exclude such a scenario in which the shown sample will remain an exhibition exhibit.
