The contract signed in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, details the delivery of a large quantity of NATO proven Full Width Mine Ploughs, provided by Pearson Engineering for integration with Wisent 1 from FFG.
The pairing of front-end equipment with Wisent 1 has been proven by both companies, with systems provided most notably to the Danish Armed Forces along with a number of other end-users.
Facilitated by the German Federal Government, the equipment will be delivered to Ukraine within 2023 under UOR conditions.
The route opening mine plough, considered a ‘flagship’ product among Pearson Engineering’s range of front-end equipment, is designed to provide combat vehicles with minefield breaching capability. Ground engaging tines arranged across the full width of the vehicle displace buried pressure-fused mines to create a trafficable path. The route opening mine plough is often deployed together with an Obstacle Marking System and Magnetic Signature Duplicator from Pearson Engineering. In the U.S., it is deployed with a MICLIC line charge system.
More than 3,000 mine ploughs of various type and design have been provided by Pearson Engineering to end-users across five continents. Supplied for route clearance, self-protection or as a configurable variant, Pearson Engineering mine ploughs have been integrated with a wide range of combat vehicles. Most recently, VECTOR, a self-protection variant designed for use with wheeled vehicles with comparably low traction, was introduced to the market.
Pearson Engineering has previously supplied equipment to NATO Forces across a number of UORs. As far back as 2009, orders were placed by the U.S. Army for Pearson Engineering’s SPARK II route proving roller which saw more than 2,000 enter service within two years. In recognition of the achievement, Pearson Engineering received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category in 2012, as well as the same award for International Trade in 2013 for efforts relating to the supply of equipment to support NATO Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2022, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise was approved again in the International Trade category in support of service to new markets across the globe.
“We are proud to be in a position to provide proven equipment quickly to forces on the ground in Ukraine. Our ability to do so is testament to the partnership we have forged with FFG over two decades, and the exceptional abilities of our team at Armstrong Works.
“We have proven our capabilities before, scaling-up our design, delivery and manufacturing rapidly to protect soldiers. As an end-user some years ago, I have seen first-hand the quality achieved by the company under such challenging circumstances.”
Business Development Director for Pearson Engineering, Richard Beatson.
Our battle proven minefield breaching products provide armoured vehicles with the capability to defeat anti-tank mines. Whether intended for deliberate breaching or to support ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ for fighting vehicles, our blast-resistant ploughs give Commanders the option to move unimpeded and in doing so, maintain a battlefield advantage.
Our earth loading capability delivers a powerful digging and carrying ability, enabling armoured vehicles to transport materials, clear obstacles, dig and fill trenches and to assist in construction tasks. Our loaders can be provided with varying degrees of function and therefore complexity to support different mission sets.
Our interrogation capability is rooted in providing additional capability for Counter-IED and Route Proving operations. To supplement physical detection from ground engaging roller systems, our interrogation arm can be used to further understand the nature of threats and to identify where risks may be present outside of the path of the roller.
Our obstacle and earth moving products include general purpose and multi-purpose dozer blades, designed specifically to meet the needs of different mission sets. Our blades are designed to be tough, robust and lightweight, enabling a wide range of obstacle and earth moving activities whilst minimising the impact on the vehicle’s mobility.
Typically used alongside Pearson Engineering’s Route Opening Mine Plough, Surface Clearance Device or Route Proving rollers, our highly configurable obstacle marking systems support battlefield mobility by quickly and reliably marking safe lanes and the edge of hazardous areas.
Our excavation capability is designed to support combat engineer operations such as digging, demolishing, removing obstacles and filling trenches to support Area Access and Area Denial.
Our approach is often described as a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ in that host vehicles can be adapted to take on various combat engineering roles, or to overcome challenges to mobility. Integration of our products with the vehicle is made via a Pearson Engineering Direct Fit Interface or Pearson Engineering Quick Connect. The most suitable integration method depends on the mission requirements and vehicle capabilities. Our engineers will work closely with end-users and vehicle manufacturers to define the most appropriate route to minimise the impact on the vehicle and to maximise operational capability. Decisions are often based on hydraulic and electrical availability as well as the required role of the vehicle. Our integration kits are used to fit products that are designed to enhance armoured vehicle agility, tactical flexibility and adaptability. They are designed to be configurable and to deliver ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ to operations.
Our recovery capability includes a range of dedicated and multi-purpose blades which are primarily designed to support the recovery of other vehicles and for moving of heavy obstacles. A powerful ground-engaging blade sinks into the earth to hold a vehicle static, acting as the force against which the obstacle can be pulled. The same blade can be articulated to provide some obstacle and earth moving capability.
Surface laid mines represent a rising threat as Armed Forces turn their attention to near peer conflict. Our solutions, each designed to support the missions of dedicated combat engineer vehicles or fighting vehicles, provide a comprehensive detect and displace capability to support deliberate clearance or self-extraction in the face of air delivered scatterable mines.
Our highly configurable rollers have saved countless lives, limbs and assets on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and have succeeded in ensuring ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ for soldiers around the world. Provided as either a full-width ‘route proving’ variant to actively check routes for the presence of Improvised Explosive Devices, or as a track-width ‘self-protection’ variant, our rollers are designed specifically to meet the needs of wide-ranging operational requirements. Our continued Research & Development and our approach to customisation provides confidence to those who use them.
Like all of Pearson Engineering’s products, our assault gap crossing solutions are designed to be modular, to be interchangeable with other mobility and counter-mobility equipment and to support ‘freedom of manoeuvre’ on the battlefield. In a time when units are tasked to ‘march divided and fight united’, independent manoeuvre support is key.
Our range of Mine Clearance platforms and tools provide Armed Forces and other organisations with scalable solutions for mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal and the defeat of improvised explosive devices. Our platforms and their tools can also be used to create mobility challenges for adversaries. Proven around the world, these mine clearance platforms and their tools are designed specifically to meet the needs of different operational contexts from large area clearance to support logistics and peace keeping operations through to clearance in complex terrain.