UK-based Advanced Blast & Ballistic Systems (ABBS), through its CEO Roger Sloman, is announcing that it is seeking investment funding to support the development of its concept that introduces a novel way to breach minefields while keeping troops and other personnel safe.
Roger is credited with introducing carbon fiber material to Formula 1 Racing, and he founded the Advanced Composites Group, which supplied advanced carbon fiber materials to various industries, including motorsports, defense, and aviation. Roger holds a first-class degree in polymer chemistry from Hatfield Polytechnic, and he developed a low-temperature curing system for carbon fiber pre-impregnated with resin, which allows easier molding of the material. Initially, carbon fiber was used for non-structural components, such as wing endplates, in F1 cars, significantly lightening these components. Carbon fiber began to be used for more components, including structural ones, until the entire chassis was made of carbon fiber.
Roger Sloman
In 2004, the Advanced Composites Group was sold for £44 million; afterward, Roger became a consultant for various businesses in the aerospace and defense industries. Continuously seeking to innovate in these areas, he founded ABBS in 2009, developing the Vehicle Global Acceleration Mitigation (VGAM) System, which helps protect the occupants of the vehicle from injuries caused by a rapid upward acceleration of the vehicle if it drives over a landmine or an improvised explosive device (IED).
According to Roger, the blast throwing the vehicle upward poses the greatest risk to the occupants, which is why the VGAM system uses solid-fuel linear rocket motors installed on the vehicle’s roof. These motors kick in instantly when an explosion is detected, providing a counteracting force that prevents the vehicle from being launched into the air.
ABBS
The Need for an Effective and Safe Minefield Breaching Solution
As the Russo-Ukrainian War approaches its third anniversary, the huge minefields laid by Russian forces remain a huge challenge for Ukraine. The country’s territory that has been occupied by Russia has become one of the most heavily landmined places in the world, posing a huge risk not just to troops but also civilians. Unless significant effort is taken to de-mine the areas, the risk will persist for many years after the conflict is over. Since the start of the conflict, the Ukrainian army has lost numerous mine-clearing vehicles to drone strikes, artillery, and various other attack methods, and Roger believes that a new design of uncrewed minefield breaching vehicle is necessary to clear these areas safely.
According to Roger, any major minefield breaching operations can easily be detected and attacked due to modern surveillance technology, making them especially vulnerable to anti-tank missiles and drones. To mitigate this, ABBS has come up with an innovative uncrewed vehicle design that uses a space frame above twin V-shaped hulls, making the vehicle harder to disable. Anti-tank missiles fired horizontally are more likely to fly over the top of the hulls, going through the space frame without causing any significant damage. Similarly, drones and anti-tank missiles that are designed to fly over a vehicle and shoot downward are programmed to fire at the center of the vehicle, resulting in the missile going straight through the space frame and into the ground, minimizing the damage.
Current autonomy systems utilize camera and LIDAR systems that are unsuitable for battlefields obscured by dust, smoke, and debris. By contrast, ABBS is developing uncrewed vehicles such as this, which will use AI-powered 4D radar and ground-penetrating radar systems to navigate a clear path in all conditions, including during poor visibility (nighttime, snow, fog, etc.).
ABBS is seeking initial funding of at least £500,000 (around $650,000) for this stage of R&D, which will allow the company to refine the concept and pitch the idea to various defense agencies, with a goal of rolling it out rapidly to assist minefield breaching efforts in Ukraine. The technology will also advance the use of various uncrewed ground vehicles in the military for various roles, such as casualty evacuation, logistics, surveillance, weapon deployment, and more. ABBS will soon be launching a Crowdcube crowdfunding round that has already been gaining interest in various investment communities.
“As seen by the loss of multiple minefield breaching vehicles in Ukraine, there needs to be a more effective solution when dealing with landmines, without endangering the lives of troops and civilians,” Roger says. “We are developing uncrewed ground vehicle technology that will allow these dangerous minefields to be neutralized and hopefully turn the tides of the conflict. Once proven effective, the technology will also benefit numerous humanitarian demining efforts all over the world, augmenting the efforts of organizations such as the HALO Trust and the United Nations.”
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