Sweden is preparing to hand over to Ukraine a ScanJack 3500 mine clearing system that is capable of defusing mines at depth.

The Swedish Armed Forces said that the Swedish government had made a decision to transfer this equipment in 2023.

In the late summer and fall of 2023, Ukraine sent people to Sweden to be trained on this system, which is known as the Djupminröjningsmaskin 1 (DMR) in Sweden.

“The DMR, like many other things in the Armed Forces, is not just a machine, it is a complete system. A system that requires logistics, care and maintenance,” the Swedish officials said.

During the training, Ukrainians learned how to manage the entire system. They demonstrated a high level of willingness to learn.

“Ukrainians came here with different prior knowledge, and although there were problems, including language, they demonstrated a high level of skills in operating the system,” they say in Sweden.

The Djupminröjningsmaskin 1/T is also called ScanJack 3500 and is based on the chassis of the Finnish John Deere 1710D logging machine.

The 14-meter and 40-ton machine is equipped with a 215 hp six-cylinder diesel engine that drives the tractor, as well as a 571-liter Scania V8 diesel engine.

The speed during clearing is 0.2-1.5 km/h, and fuel consumption is 60 to 80 liters per hour, depending on the conditions. To protect the driver, the chassis has been reinforced to withstand explosive blasts.

The DMR is controlled by a joystick from the cockpit, and behind it is a unit with chains that defuse mines at a depth of up to 40 centimeters at high speed.

When a mine is detected, it breaks or explodes under the influence of chains. The clearance of buried mines is a prerequisite for the population in a war zone to return to their daily lives afterwards.

In 2023, it became known that the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands also handed over the ScanJack 3500 mine clearing system to Ukraine.