DRDO’s remote-operated vehicle can diffuse unexploded bombs

LUCKNOW: Defence Research and Development Organisation’s laboratory, Research and Development Establishment (RDE), has come up with a unique solution against the menace of unexploded bombs which can otherwise not only block operations but can also lead to loss of life and property.

“We have manufactured first such vehicle which can not only handle but also diffuse unexploded bombs. It can be remote controlled from a Master Control Station (MCS) from as far as 2-km keeping explosive at a safe distance from handlers,” said a senior scientist. It can handle ordnance ranging from a mortar to a 1000-kg bomb, he added.

The vehicle known as Unexploded Ordnance Robot (UXOR) is part of the display at the DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow. It has tracked wheels which makes it compatible for uneven surface and has two arms compatible to pick load with one hand and cut the bomb. “It uses high speed abrasive water jets cutting technology to diffuse the bombs,” the scientists said.

DRDO Scientists Mridu Kant Pathak and Dilip Makwana said, “The vehicle is mounted with multiple cameras which let people sitting in MCS to manoeuvre the vehicle to the right spot, understand the type of the ordinance and also to point the jet at the exact place where it can be cut to diffuse the bomb.” The other countries have vehicles used only to pick the bomb and to move it to a safe distance. 
The vehicle is powerful enough to pull out unexploded bombs from runway strips.