Ensign Clears the First Obstacle.

The Ensign-Bickford Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System (Apobs) has passed its production First Article Testing, a certification required by the US Government. The Apobs will provide the armed forces with an enhanced man-portable capability to breach anti-personnel minefields and wire obstacles. The current system, the Bangalore Torpedo, requires a soldier/marine to approach the leading edge of the obstacle, install the initiation system and initiate the charge in close proximity to the mined area. The Apobs requires less than two minutes to set-up and deploy and is launched from a stand-off distance of 35 metres. The system is designed to clear a footpath through anti-personnel minefields and wire obstacles up to 45 metres in length by two metres wide. One Apobs (125 lb) is equivalent to 27 sections of Bangalore Torpedo (450 lb). Both the US Marine Corps and Army plan to deploy Apobs.