Mine Clearing

There's more than one way to clear a mine field. This is the way the Marines do it, though technically they aren't clearing an entire field, they are only clearing a path across it. I've only come across this system a couple of times. This set of photos shows the operation very well.

Combat Engineers launch an M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge rocket.

The rocket trails a line behind it. The line is packed with C4 explosive.

When the rocket has reached the end of its 'rope', and the line has settled to the ground, the C4 explosive is detonated. The shock wave from the explosion should detonate any mines buried within a certain number of feet of the line, and you are left with a clear path through the mine field.

These photographs are from a training exercise at the Marine Corps Base at Twentynine Palms, California on February 4, 2015.