This
tool is designed to be
used to break up the ground while keeping the users
hand low in the event of a detonation.
Made
from T section steel, the Pick-prod has a 31cm blade that can be used to pick at the ground
with considerable force without bending. In softer
ground, a twisting movement breaks up the ground more efficiently
than a bayonet. The users hand is protected by a washable
and pliable aramid blast-shield in front of a 14cm
long MDPE handle which is attached to the blade with a countersunk nylock and washer set into the end.
The
T section tapers to a point and is a compromise
between allowing penetration and ensuring that the tool is strong
enough not to be damaged in normal use. It is intended that
ground broken with this tool would then be removed with the demining trowel.
When made using mild steel, the metal parts should be galvanised or hard-chromed to prevent
rust. The tool weighs
around 0.5Kg (1.2 lbs).
The
tool stayed in one piece when placed on top of mines in tests.
As well as having been sold to military users in South America and Europe, this tool is known to have been used in Vietnam, Angola, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Libya and Sudan.
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