Decades of collaboration between Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) and Pearson Engineering has paved the way for a programme that will see the Armed Forces of Ukraine equipped with proven route opening mine ploughs as part of an Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) sponsored by the German Federal Government. The pairing of front-end equipment with Wisent 1 has been proven by both companies, with systems provided most notably to the Danish Armed Forces along with a number of other end-users. The contract signed in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, details the delivery of a large quantity of NATO proven Full Width Mine Ploughs, provided by Pearson Engineering for integration with Wisent 1 from FFG.
Facilitated by the German Federal Government, the equipment will be delivered to Ukraine within 2023 under UOR conditions. The route opening mine plough, considered a ‘flagship’ product among Pearson Engineering’s range of front-end equipment, is designed to provide combat vehicles with minefield breaching capability. Ground engaging tines arranged across the full width of the vehicle displace buried pressure-fused mines to create a trafficable path. The route opening mine plough is often deployed together with an obstacle clearance system and Magnetic Signature Duplicator from Pearson Engineering. In the U.S., it is deployed with a MICLIC line charge system.
“We are proud to be in a position to provide proven equipment quickly to forces on the ground in Ukraine. Our ability to do so is testament to the partnership we have forged with FFG over two decades, and the exceptional abilities of our team at Armstrong Works. We have proven our capabilities before, scaling-up our design, delivery and manufacturing rapidly to protect soldiers. As an end-user some years ago, I have seen first-hand the quality achieved by the company under such challenging circumstances,” Business Development Director for Pearson Engineering, Richard Beatson said.
More than 3,000 mine ploughs of various type and design have been provided by Pearson Engineering to end-users across five continents. Supplied for route proving, self-protection or as a configurable variant, Pearson Engineering mine ploughs have been integrated with a wide range of combat vehicles. Most recently, VECTOR, a self-protection variant designed for use with wheeled vehicles with comparably low traction, was introduced to the market.
Pearson Engineering has previously supplied equipment to NATO Forces across a number of UORs. As far back as 2009, orders were placed by the U.S. Army for Pearson Engineering’s SPARK II route proving roller which saw more than 2,000 enter service within two years. In recognition of the achievement, Pearson Engineering received The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category in 2012, as well as the same award for International Trade in 2013 for efforts relating to the supply of equipment to support NATO Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2022, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise was approved again in the International Trade category in support of service to new markets across the globe.
Pearson Engineering has a world-proven ability to deliver against the most complex defence challenges. Building on our unrivalled heritage, expertise, and research capability, the company design and manufacture products and integrated solutions that push boundaries and improve mobility and protection. Products are provided as vehicle attachments which are optimised for specific combat engineering roles and can be configured to support the most challenging operational demands. Specific tasks include breaching mine fields, protecting against improvised explosive devices, earth moving and gap crossing.
