CZK - VO (výbušný odminovač)

The VO explosive deminer is designed to create passageways for tanks in enemy minefields. Mechanical Deminer - TRAL only creates a track passage in front of the tank tracks. To establish a complete passage, a VO is used along with mechanical deminers, which places tractor ( tractor) charges on the terrain, and these explode to clear a strip of terrain between the tank tracks, extending the passage to either side of the tank tracks.
The explosive deminer can be used to punch passages in a minefield containing mines with normal and high demining resistance and where mechanical deminers can be used / TRAL or plough /, i.e. in any terrain and in all hard and soft soils.

The VO consists of :
- trailer for VO - single axle on tyres with covered body,
- from VO consumables kit :
- 11 drums with pulling charge,
- 1 detonating rod,
- 1 anchor,
- 1 ammunition chest.

The VO places a total of 11 tractor charges on the terrain, 5 between the tracks and 3 on each side of the tank.
The passage is 5 m wide and 100 m long. The mechanical deminer-plough and the VO are controlled by a driver from inside the tank. About 30 m before the limit of the minefield, the driver lowers the plough of the mechanical mine clearer, which removes the mines in front of the tracks and thus in front of the wheels of the mine clearance vehicle on both outer sides. He lowers the VO anchor, which pulls out the detonator rod on which the tractor charges are attached, which begin to deposit themselves on the ground. When the tractor tanks are fully deployed, the tank continues to drive smoothly and when it has travelled about 30 m from the end of the tractor charges, all the charges are automatically detonated, thus creating a passage in the minefield.

The explosion activates the anti-tank or anti-personnel mines or mechanically destroys them, thus rendering them inoperative. The VO has about 95% effectiveness.

The design of the VO trailer is such that the trailer forms a self-supporting tub that sits on the terrain when traversing trenches, craters, ditches, etc., and thus traverses it easily.

The VO is suspended as a single-axle trailer behind T-34 and T-54 and T-55 series tanks, which must be equipped with a mechanical deminer - TRAL or a ploughing machine - at the front when clearing the mines.

It was introduced into the armament of the CSFA in 1962. In the 1960s, the CSLA had about 310 VO deminers at its disposal. Each tank company was to be equipped with one VO and MOV. The cost of one VO deminer in 1964 was 145,000 CZK.

Main technical data:
Dimensions in mm:
Length : 4188
Width :2930
Height :1717
Clearance : 454

Weight in kg :
- Full : 4200,
- empty : 2500
- one adjustment of consumables : 1700
- anchors : 175
- drum with towing charge : 130,
- total explosive weight per 100 x 5 m passage : 1100.

Tyres : 11,00-20 S0

Speed in km/h :
- average off-road : 15
- max. off-road : 35
- towed by a T-111 : 60
- Max. speed during demining is 8 km/hr.

Time required to equip VO by tank crew : 40 minutes.
Transportation :
For long distances, the VO is attached to P V3S trucks, T 138 or other vehicles ( transporters, tow trucks, etc.).


Source :Žen-29-6[/baa] Explosive deminer VO, ČSLA Prague 1977

Bílek, Jiří, a.i. : Czechoslovak People's Army in Warsaw Pact coalition ties. MO ČR 2008

Explosive odminovač VO
Explosive odminovač VO is used to establish passages in minefields, in conjunction with the tank překonávajícím minefield using a mechanical odminovače. The blast extended demining charge to activate the remaining mines in the gap between the created tracks and outside of the track passage and there was a full pass, of a width up to 5 m and a length of 90 - 100 m.
Own odminovač was uniaxial trailer for a tank equipped with 11 drums with sweeping odminovacími charges of a length of 100 meters (a total of 1100 kg of plastic explosive). Terete charges have been using the pop-up ropes attached to a massive anchor attached hinges to the back side of the odminovače. Before the start of the minefield with curtains anchor odstřelily using pyrotechnic cartridges actuated through the connecting cable crew tank and anchor due to its weight stuck to the ground and began to unfold the tensioning of the rope, at the same time into spilling the guide shoulders along the sides of the odminovače. This guide arms permit to lay howling mine charges even outside the travel path of the tank, on each side of the 3 charges and in the wheel track of the tank 5 charges. After pulling and tension pop-up lan on the terrain lay howling mine clearance charges and after stretching has occurred to activate them.
Explosive odminovač was included in the armament in the 60's. years as a trailer for tanks T34, T54/55 and the later T72, which had to be fitted with front mechanical odminovači MOV or TRAL..

VO, Military Museum Králíky, August 2004.

One of three VO-72M4 CZs modified for the modernized tanks T-72M4 CZ.



Source: www.73tankovyprapor.army.cz

On the trailer there is a folding arm on each side which leads a long charge (popularly called a lightning rod) unwound from drums inside the trailer. There are several charges side by side and the arms certainly extend over the width of the tank by quite a distance. At rest, the arms are pulled to the sides of the trailer and secured, opening on an electrical impulse from the towing vehicle and being spring loaded to a position perpendicular to the axis of advance. Precisely because several charges are being unwound and the arms are relatively wide, the quoted 5 m seems to me to be somewhat insufficient. The trailer itself is basically just a metal box (unarmoured) on a single axle trailer. The drums are several (if memory serves me correctly, they are an odd number) side by side and the charge is unwound from them. after it is unwound to its full length (I am not sure but I suspect 125 m) the charge is automatically detonated, creating a fairly wide corridor in the minefield. I've seen this in action once in real life but it was used quite commonly in training (i.e. without the launcher and charges). As far as I know the tank could "drop" the trailer after use.