M58 mine clearing line charge
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A U.S. Army device for clearing minefields, the M58 mine clearing line charge (MICLIC) is a rocket-propelled explosive line charge that uses sympathetic detonation to blast a safe lane through a minefield. The 350 foot long line charge and launcher are carried in a wheeled or tracked trailer, and clears a nominal 100 meter long, 8 meter wide lane. With improvements in Army vehicles, but not necessarily engineer vehicles, the seemingly simple trailer has become a challenge. It was routinely towed by an engineer vehicle in the M113 armored personnel carrier family, but the M113 could not keep up with M2 Bradley armored fighting vehicles and M1 Abrams tanks. While there is an engineer squad carrier variant of the Bradley, it cannot tow a trailer. In the Stryker Brigade Combat Team, the M1132 engineer squad vehicle is compatible with a trailer. |