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Russia’s latest Zemledeliye minelaying system has no rivals, says military expert

The Zemledeliye features the principle of multiple launch rocket systems but uses munitions with a solid propellant engine that are stuffed with various types of mines for laying minefields

Minelaying system Zemledeliye Ministry of Defense of Russia

Minelaying system Zemledeliye

© Ministry of Defense of Russia

MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Russia’s state-of-the-art Zemledeliye remote-controlled minelaying system has no rivals in the world, Hero of Russia Colonel Rustam Saifullin told TASS on Wednesday.

During Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, Saifullin commanded the 40th engineering regiment of the 41st combined arms army and was wounded twice.

"An excellent and proven remotely controlled minelaying system Zemledeliye that can lay a minefield at very large distances has been accepted for service. It is capable of laying anti-personnel, anti-tank or mixed minefields, thus preventing an enemy advance or thwarting its maneuver. This remotely controlled system has no rivals in any other country of the world," he stressed.

Zemledeliye minelaying vehicle

The Zemledeliye features the principle of multiple launch rocket systems but uses munitions with a solid propellant engine that are stuffed with various types of mines for laying minefields. In the process of minelaying, the vehicle’s digital terrain map marks mined areas’ coordinates that are subsequently transmitted to the higher command and control level.

The Zemledeliye minelaying vehicle comprises a launcher, an ammunition suite of 50 122mm munitions stuffed with high-explosive anti-personnel or anti-tank mines and a transporter-loader vehicle with a loading crane in the rear.

Both vehicles are mounted on Kamaz-6560 eight-wheel trucks and are outfitted with armored driver cabins. The rockets are placed in containers loaded into special packs of 25 munitions each. Each Zemledeliye vehicle carries two such packs. A launcher is outfitted with communications, a fire control system, meteorological sensors and a defensive suite that comprises six smoke grenade launchers, with three of them on each side.

The Defense Ministry of Russia and the Tula-based Splav defense firm signed a contract for the delivery of Zemledeliye remote minelaying vehicles to Russian troops in December 2013. The Splav Research and Production Association is Russia’s largest company engaged in developing and producing multiple launch rocket systems.

Russia unveiled the Zemledeliye remote minelaying vehicle to the public at large at the military parade on Moscow’s Red Square on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War. The initial batch of Zemledeliye minelaying vehicles entered service with Russian engineering troops in 2020.

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