KMT-5M Russian Tank Mounted Mechanical Mine Clearing Device

The KMT-5M mine roller-plow is very flexible, since it allows for either the plows or the rollers to be used. The rollers function satisfactorily against mines equipped with simple pressure fuses, but other mines will defeat this equipment. However, the roller-plow combination also allows the tank to counter more sophisticated fuses with plows designed to uncover or push mines aside. The plows and rollers cannot work simultaneously. The KMT-5M also includes a luminous lane-marking device for night operations. Because plows and rollers do not clear the area between them a “dog bone” or light chain with rollers is stretched between the roller sections to defeat tilt-rod mines. Quick disconnects allow the operator to drop either plows or rollers or both; otherwise, the crew can remove the system in 8 to 13 minutes. All current medium tanks have fittings for attaching mine clearing equipment. There is one plow per tank platoon and one roller per company. For tanks newer than the T-55/62 the plows are no longer carried in the engineer company, but are permanently mounted on the tank. Therefore the engineers need only to transport the rollers. One Kraz-255B truck (with KM-61 crane) or two ZIL-131 trucks can carry one KMT-5M.