this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2023
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Can cluster bombing the entire field detonate all of the mines to clear the path? Might take a lot of bombs but it's gotta be faster than de-mining by hand.
Can it clear some mines? Absolutely, you can blow up minefields. Can it clear ALL mines? Very likely not.
Mines can explode from getting hit, but AT mines are far more likely to just get flung away a bit, and will just sit in their new position, probably in between craters. So you'll have fewer mines, but also less passable terrain. And more dirt, and less predictable ground too.
Craters could be advantageous. Bring lots of dirt that you know is clean, plug the craters with said dirt with combat bulldozers, then get your tanks through quickly before the enemy can call in artillery.
Easier said than done though, and there still will be casualties.
I think that there's a 5% failure rate of cluster bombs. So if you drop a few, there will be a few UXOs still laying around.
Best bet is to use a MICLIC or those mine sniffing rats.
They have custom launched destination lines they can use too. I think that's cheaper and more controllable than cluster munitions. But sometimes the mine fields are deep enough you need two or three shots to get all the way through.
@JohnDClay There are demining vehicles as well. Not sure how effective they can be with such a density but I think they can do some work.
@Gork
Yes, and there's a reason the recommended placement distances, if one of these goes off it's going to sympathetically setoff others.
The easy way is det cord jammed into defused grenades to make a ghetto mclc and well bravery mixed with a bit of stupidity wouldn't hurt.
That was my initial thought as well. Or if you needed a clear path across, specifically bomb one out so you could be sure you aren't walking through that. I have no idea how practical that would be though.