The safety of people during demining is a key task. Modern mines can explode even without direct contact with the sapper, which makes such work extremely dangerous. The use of drones significantly increases the level of security. Quadcopters allow you to remotely survey large areas with minimal risk to life.
The mine danger in Ukraine is particularly acute — thousands of hectares of land are covered with mines and unexploded ordnance. Given that the agricultural sector is one of the most important for the country, clearing land and returning it to safe agricultural use is extremely urgent. According to the UN, the use of drones can speed up humanitarian demining several times, significantly reducing the risks to humans.
Drones can detect both direct and indirect signs of a mine hazard, fix explosive objects and assist in creating up-to-date maps of the area. Military fortifications and combat have significantly changed the landscape — old maps and satellite imagery no longer reflect reality. Shooting from drones allows the formation of orthophotplanes with precise reference to the coordinate system.
Even inexpensive DJI drones with high-resolution cameras are able to detect subtle signs of the presence of mines. The detected objects are applied to a map with GPS coordinates, which greatly simplifies the work of sappers.
The safety of people during demining is a key task. Modern mines can explode even without direct contact with the sapper, which makes such work extremely dangerous. The use of drones significantly increases the level of security. Quadcopters allow you to remotely survey large areas with minimal risk to life.
The mine danger in Ukraine is particularly acute — thousands of hectares of land are covered with mines and unexploded ordnance. Given that the agricultural sector is one of the most important for the country, clearing land and returning it to safe agricultural use is extremely urgent. According to the UN, the use of drones can speed up humanitarian demining several times, significantly reducing the risks to people.
Drones can detect both direct and indirect signs of a mine hazard, fix explosive objects and assist in creating up-to-date maps of the area. Military fortification and fighting have significantly changed the landscape — old maps and satellite images no longer reflect the real situation. Shooting from drones allows the formation of orthophotplanes with precise reference to the coordinate system.
Even inexpensive DJI drones with high-resolution cameras are able to detect subtle signs of the presence of mines. The detected objects are applied to a map with GPS coordinates, which greatly simplifies the work of sappers.
What is humanitarian demining?
Humanitarian demining is a set of measures aimed at detecting, neutralizing, and removing mines and unexploded ordnance (NPPs) in areas where they pose a threat to the civilian population. The main goal is to return the territories to a safe life: to agriculture, construction, free movement of people.
Unlike the military, humanitarian demining focuses on the protection of ordinary people and the restoration of regions. Civilian specialists who have undergone appropriate training can participate in it. One of the main principles is the safety of participants. Drones allow you to carry out surveys and mapping without approaching dangerous objects, being within pre-tested and safe zones.
According to international organizations, training in humanitarian minesweeping is an important element not only for specialists, but also for local populations in risk areas. This is knowledge that can save lives.
What technical capabilities do drones have for humanitarian demining?
Most mines respond to ground movement: contact, vibration, sound, magnetic field change. Drones work in the air — and that already makes them much safer.
For ground survey of territories, binoculars, standard photo and video cameras are most often used. However, their capabilities are significantly limited. Even simple DJI drone models are equipped with high detail cameras and GPS modules. The pictures contain coordinates by which you can accurately fix the location of a dangerous object.
More advanced drone models can be equipped with thermal imagers that allow you to see the difference in thermal conductivity—mines, even those located shallowly underground, warm differently than the surrounding soil. Multispectral cameras used on agrodrones help detect foreign objects among vegetation due to spectral differences.
Large drones can carry magnetometers or geo-radar. The first creates a map of magnetic anomalies and helps to find metal objects, the second allows you to detect heterogeneity underground, which can also indicate the presence of a mine.
The use of drones significantly improves the accuracy, speed and safety of demining.
Where are drones most effective during humanitarian demining?
It is most advisable to use drones where combat operations have recently taken place or defensive positions have been located. There are many such territories in Ukraine, and Manual demining can last for decades if modern technology is not used.
Already in 2023, HALO Trust and FSD began to actively use drones with thermal imagers and multispectral cameras in the Chernihiv region. This made it possible to quickly and safely examine large areas and identify potentially dangerous areas.On the basis of aerial photography, maps were created with the designation of detected objects. The result is increased efficiency and reduced risk for sappers.
Training of specialists in humanitarian demining
Personnel safety is the basis of humanitarian demining. Contact with mines and ammunition is permissible only for professional sappers. But civilian experts also play an important role: they collect information from local residents, mark suspicious areas, inform the population about the rules of conduct.
The key task of civilians is remote technical reconnaissance. This includes:
— aerial surveillance by drones,
— photo and video shooting,
— mapping,
— transfer of coordinates to specialized services.
To do this, specialists learn how to work with drones, study signs of mining, master the skills of safe behavior and communication with the local population and mining groups.
Prospective directions of humanitarian demining
Modern technologies already make it possible to more effectively detect mines and neutralize them remotely. Airborne drones search for mines, ground work — defuse. Artificial intelligence is gradually being introduced for automatic analysis of images, thermal and magnetic maps.
In the future, fully automated humanitarian demining systems await us. But we need to act today. Everyone — whether volunteer, community dweller, or specialist — can be trained and contribute to freeing the land from mortal threat.
Author: Dmytro Sledyuk, head of the educational department of Dronarium Academy
