Air Force Research Laboratory

Airbase Technologies Division

Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida

Active Range Clearance

Force Protection Branch Robotics Research Team 850-283-3725
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for Public Release, distribution unlimited.

Overview
Mission
ARC Robots ARC Overview ARC Experiments Contact Information

Robotics Mission
Robotics Research Team Mission
The Air Forces Robotics Research Team conducts research and
development of advanced robotic technologies and systems to protect, support and augment the warfighter in the accomplishment of

Dull, Dirty, Dangerous, and Impossible Missions.

ARC Mission
Active Range Clearance (ARC) Mission
Active Range Clearance Technologies focus on developing solutions to support autonomous robotic construction machinery to perform geophysical mapping, ordnance clearance, removal of residue on DoD ranges, Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), and Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) Sites. Remote systems will be

capable of operating independently for mapping, neutralizing, collecting,

and processing unexploded military munitions and range scrap.

Active Range Clearance

Development of a system of platforms operating cooperatively to support and augment EOD personnel in the disposal of UXO and removal of residue on military training ranges Address multi-service requirements for mine field breaching and area clearance Reduce range decontamination costs and time Improve range management processes Meet DoD objective to reduce risk of inadvertently transferring properties containing munition items or hazardous constituents to the public

AFRL Equipment

AOE Excavator

ARTS Platform

AMRADS

Command Post

Command Center
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ARTS & Attachments

AllAll-Purpose Transport System (ARTS)
3 mile line-of-sight remote control Bobcat type interface Variety of off-the-shelf attachments (bucket, fork, etc.)
ARTS with Brush Cutter Power Rake

Rotary Tiller

Cherrington Screener

FAE Mulcher

Tree Shear

Surf Rake

Grapple Bucket

Kwik-Mag
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Excavator & Attachments

AOE Excavator
Caterpillar 325L Long-reach boom stick 69 available reach 4 cu yd digging bucket Operating weight of 64,460 3.3 mph travel speed
AOE Excavator

Bucket

Mulcher

Magnet

Massachusetts Military Reservation

MMR operations consisted of UXO removal on multiple ranges using a variety of remote equipment
- Vegetation Removal - Sifting Operation - Geophysical Surveys - UXO Removal - Fire Break Clearance
AOE ARTS - Sifter Bucket - Brush Cutter - Brontosaurus Mulcher - Tree Shear - Magnet - Standard Bucket - Tiller AMRADS - Grapple Bucket - Remote Arm - Cherrington Beach Cleaner - Harley Power Rake

Massachusetts Military Reservation

J-1 Range Berms
Before

After

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Massachusetts Military Reservation

Surf Rake
Barber Surf Rake Rotating belt of tines that scrape ground surface Operational speeds between 1 and 15 mph Cleans 2-7 acres per hour

AMRADS
Advanced Mobility Research and Development System Autonomous geophysical mapping Modular architecture for ordnance detection/location

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Aberdeen Proving Ground

Conducted operations at Aberdeen Proving Grounds to remove DU from catch boxes

- Around the clock 24 hour operations - Removed 28,038 lbs of DU - Removed 20+ UXO items - Operations were conducted utilizing the AOE with Sifter Bucket

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Fort Bliss
Demonstrated the use of robotics for new range construction
- AMRADS used for geophysical surveying and subsurface UXO mapping - Several ARTS platforms with brush cutter attachments were used for vegetation removal - Vegetation clearance of 54 Acres - Demonstrated the use of AOE with Magnet to recover surface and subsurface UXO items - Used AOE with Sifter Bucket to recover subsurface UXO items

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Honey Lake
US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville Requested AFRL Robotics to assist clean up of Sierra Army Depot Honey Lake Demolition Site AFRL deployed within 2 weeks of request 2600 acres total site Heavily contaminated demolition area containing 155mm and smaller ordnance frag and scrap from unfused burn pit demolition Results Average of 8 acres per day

To This

From This

Operations Results 261 operating hours, 285 acres cleared, 95,600 lbs scrap, Average 1.02 acres/hr
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Honey Lake Equipment

ARTS w/Surf Rake

ARTS with Rock Picker

Operator night view

ARTS on Grid

Robot controlled from mobile command post up to 1.5 miles distance.

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Honey Lake Operations

Scrap Pile Start of Project

Surf Rake Scrap Piles

Scrap Pile End of Project

Rock Picker Scrap Piles

Starting process produced piles with a large amount of soil Process was Optimized to minimize soil. Rock Picker produced cleaner piles than Surf Rake.
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Honey Lake Operations

Results & Observations
Rock Picker performed better but slower than Surf Rake Surf Rake not good to pick up very large and very small objects Night robotic operations are safe and effective Logistics & maintenance challenges at remote sight Maintenance and setup versus operating time separate maintenance responsibilities from operators Robots proved to be robust and reliable operating for a 10-week period in the open environment ARTS working in Sandstorm

Robots are an efficient and safe alternative to manual clearance methods in areas with high levels of UXO contamination Multiple robotic platforms can operate simultaneously with no RF interference
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Magnetic UXO Recovery System

MURS System
UXO technicians typically excavate and remove UXO by manual methods from test ranges and FUDS exposing the technicians to explosive risks. MURS seeks to reduce associated risks, costs, and liabilities of UXO removal to lead to more effective FUDS and BRAC transfers to public use and reduce active range maintenance by eliminating manual operations. During field experiments, MURS successfully retrieved a 1,000 lb surface bomb, 100 and 500 lb bombs at a 6 depth, and 60 and 81 mm mortar rounds from a 1 depth. Submunitions and 40 mm grenades were removed from a 6 depth. Shallow water testing was also successful during the experiment. The conceptual design for MURS was developed as an National Defense Center for Energy and Environment (NDCEE) task, system development and testing is supported under the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP).

Potential Benefits
Assures the clearance of land by performing validation sweeps Improves response to MEC problem as a whole System comprised of off-the-shelf technologies for ease in expansion and availability Robotic or manual deployment by relation station use

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New Boston Air Station

New Boston Air Force Station
New Boston Air Force Station (NBAS) is a 2,826 acre former bombing range in NH Utilized the Magnetic UXO Recovery System (MURS) This consisted of the AOE, Electromagnet, and Command & Control Vehicle The purpose of the experiment was to evaluate robotic range clearance and remediation on or near shallow water Onsite EOD techs were responsible for disposal

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New Boston Air Station

New Boston Air Force Station
Roughly 690 ft of shoreline cleared during approximately 1 week Distance of 15 ft out from shore Over 50 ordnance items removed .50 caliber cartridges, 20 mm cartridges, 2.25 in practice targets, 3 lb mini practice bombs, 100 lb practice bombs MURS successfully removed surface debris The post-GPR study will determine the removal depth Follow-on experimentation could result

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Points of Contact

Robotics Research Team Points of Contact:

Robotics Group Lead Mr. Walt Waltz 850-283850-283-3725 DSN 523-3725 523walter.waltz@tyndall.af.mil Robotics Technical Lead Mr. Brian Skibba 850-283850-283-3725 DSN 523-3725 523brian.skibba@tyndall.af.mil

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