Engineers of the International Development & Aid Project took a standard Utility Drone and modified it for highly effective mine clearance operations. This improvised drone uses a powerful sensor ring to detect mines as it flies low above the ground. It then releases one of its 4 demining charges from a higher altitude in order to safely detonate mines or other types of ordnance below.
Field Manual
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Design[]
This is a premium asset that requires ownership of the Laws of War DLC.
The Demining Drone is miniature VTOL-capable hexacopter that is small enough to be carried in a backpack.
Features
It is primarily designed to dispose of landmines from the air by dropping light charges on top or near them in order to safely trigger them from a distance.
Whenever a charge is deployed, it creates a loud whistling noise that can be easily heard. The charges themselves also emit a coloured trail of smoke to make them highly visible from afar.
Drawbacks
For safety reasons, taking manual control of the drone is recommended for the demining process. This is because the charges themselves, while not strictly classified as offensive munitions, are more than capable of outright killing not just the user but also any personnel caught within the blast zone.
To minimise harm and to prevent damage to the airframe, it is vital that the charges only be dropped at a minimum safe altitude of 25 metres or greater. It should also be of note that rotating the Demining Drone's camera to face downwards is possible, as unlike the mil-spec Darter UAV, the Demining Drone does not have to flip the entire airframe or swap to a "turret" camera in order to look below.
Protection[]
The Demining Drone has a base armour value of just 0.5.
Sensors[]
Exclusively designed for mine disposal, the Demining Drone has only one unique sensor available:
Mine Detector[]
The Demining Drone is able to sense the location of buried landmines and IEDs within a 360 degree radius and at a maximum distance of 50 m from the drone's current position.
Unlike other types of sensors, there is no azimuth or elevation restriction.
Armament[]
The Demining Drone is only "armed" with munitions that are designed specifically for EOD duties, though it can potentially be employed in a defensive/offensive role against organic threats if it is deemed to be necessary.
For optics, the Demining Drone's camera is unmagnified and can only toggle between a day and night vision mode. There is no separate "gunner" AI for controlling the camera; any movement is handled entirely by the drone's "driver" AI:
Demining Charge[]
Charge
Base damage value
Aerodynamic friction
Maximum speed (m/s)
Primary
1
-0.0005
100
Secondary
1
-0.0005
0
Water-gel compound based anti-landmine explosive charges.
Demining Charges consist of both a primary carrier and a secondary submunition explosive. They are initially dropped with a velocity of 0.1 m/s but are not actually powered by any form of propulsion, as any speed gain is based purely on how quickly the charge falls (up to a maximum of 100 m/s over the course of 10 seconds).
Upon contact with any hard surface, both the primary and secondary charge will inflict damage to all targets within a blast radius of 11 metres. The charge's filling is purely explosive; it does not retain any armour piercing properties.
Trivia[]
The Demining Drone is inspired by a Dutch-made concept UAV model that was designed by the Micro Air Vehicle Lab (MAVLab), an educational institution based at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.[1]
Along with the Utility Drone, the Demining Drone is currently one of the only two rotary-wing based air assets in ArmA 3 that utilise six rotors.
It is the first vehicle in the entire series that is designed exclusively for carrying out EOD duties.
Demining Drone development concepts. Note how the second design (from the left) is reused for Macrotech's "IM-5 Monitor".
A billboard in the IDAP showcase mentions that Demining Drones are manufactured by an Armaverse company called the Macrotech Corporation.[2]
One of the Demining Drone's initial concept mockups are also used as a basis for Macrotech's "IM-5 Monitor", though the drone itself is not featured as a usable asset.
Following the release of the Contact expansion pack, Eastern European NATO forces are also briefly depicted using the Demining Drone (though they aren't shown utilising it outside of the campaign).
Like the Darter UAV, the Demining Drone is clearly powered by batteries but can strangely be refuelled from petrol stations, fuel barrels and trucks.
Gallery[]
Promotional image released for ArmA 3's ninth anniversary (as part of the so-called "Legendary Assets" series).
↑ARMA 3:Art of War 2021 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., SHOWCASE: Art of War, \a3\missions_f_aow_data\img\showcase_aow_diorama_screen_inforgraphic_v2_ca.paa
