The ESMB is an explosive countermine system that creates a safe lane for vehicles by rapidly neutralizing all known surfaces and buried mines from a position outside their lethal distance. The ESMB will be employed during obstacle reduction operations to create a physical lane 4.3 meters wide by 100 meters long through a minefield during minefield clearing and reduction operations. The ESMB will neutralize all mines whether buried down to five inches, surface laid, or under water down to four feet.The ESMB is a rocket propelled explosive neutralization system (ENS). The ENS is a net with explosive shaped charge munitions located at each node. The ENS contains 16,354 shaped charge munitions. These munitions are spaced 17 centimeters apart on a nylon webbing array that is designed to neutralize all surface laid and buried mines, regardless of the fusing mechanism, from a safe standoff distance. The ESMB employs shaped charges which attack a land mines’ main explosive charge enabling it to kill any mine regardless of the fusing. Munitions count and spacing shown is for one of several design options currently being considered in the system design trades. Actual size, spacing and final munitions count will be defined after completion of these trades.
The ESMB consists of a reusable trailer and an expendable reload. The reload is a self contained, "ready to fire round" containing a rocket motor and ENS. By utilizing the winch capability of the trailer, the reload can be self loaded from the ground by a crew in less than ten minutes. The reload can also be loaded onto the trailer by using the Palletized Loading System (PLS). Once loaded, all functions of deployment are conducted with the crew in a "buttoned up" mode for safety. The system incorporates multiple safeties to prevent inadvertent launching, arming, and detonating. ESMB is supported by the 1994-2008 Battlefield Development Plan (BPD 94-08), capability issue 21.
First Unit Equipped Data (FUED). 2QFY03
