Funds to go into research on detecting land-mines

Date: 11/09/1997

By Peter Chapman

A HIGH-TECH land-mine detection research and development project worth up to 20 million ecu is set to get the go-ahead from the European Commission this month.

Officials say the project, which is a joint effort between the Commission's Directorate-General for external relations (DGIA) and its multi-billion-ecu information technology Esprit R&D programme, will develop state of the art sensors to detect deadly anti-personnel mines buried deep in the ground.

This R&D boost comes at the same time as the Commission is throwing its weight behind international efforts

to clinch a world-wide ban on anti-personnel mines. The campaign had been given impetus by the work of the late Princess of Wales, whose high-profile support for a ban helped push the issue up the political agenda.

“The point of this project is to improve the speed and efficiency of mine clearance. This is one part of a whole range of initiatives the Commission is taking in this area,” said an official.

The Commission is involved in negotiations in Oslo this month to draft a world-wide treaty banning anti-personnel land-mines. If successful, these talks could be followed up in Ottawa later this year by countries signing the draft ban.

In the meantime, officials see the development of high-tech mine detection systems as a top priority. The United Nations estimates that 2 million mines are laid every year, adding to the 100 million already in place.

The project will have “strong involvement from the EU defence industry”, said an Esprit officer, although he refused to reveal which companies had won the contract to develop the mine- detecting kit.

“Partners in the selected project will receive reports in the next couple of weeks. We cannot say which companies will be involved before the contracts are signed,” he said.

The decision to go ahead with R&D into the detection systems follows studies by German-based aerospace group Dornier and the Commission's joint research centre.

Officials say work is likely to focus on developing sensors able to detect mines in different terrains across the world, plus the computer software that will interpret the complex three-dimensional information the sensors generate.

Cash for the project will come from the reserve budget for R&D currently being thrashed out in conciliation talks between the European Parliament and Council of Ministers. MEPs have asked for 20 million ecu, more than double the 9 million ecu offered by EU ministers.

R&D funds are not earmarked for commercial applications, but the Commission hopes companies will then use the technology in mine-detection kits which could be mounted on either mine-sweeping vehicles or on hand-held devices.