minehunters

Minehunters are personnel and units dedicated to locating and neutralizing landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). They operate in military contexts, during humanitarian demining, and in security operations. The term covers both individual explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialists and naval mine countermeasures (MCM) teams whose primary task is to detect mines and render them safe or destroy them. Minehunting differs from mine sweeping: hunters use detection systems to locate mines and then neutralize them individually, whereas sweeping clears paths by detonating or dispersing mines en masse with mechanical, explosive, or charged lines.

Detection and neutralization methods include metal detection, ground-penetrating radar, magnetometers, and advanced sonar in maritime settings. Teams may deploy divers, remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and robots to explore suspected seabed mines. Once located, mines are rendered safe by mechanical removal, controlled detonation, or explosive ordnance disposal techniques. Naval minehunters typically operate from specialized vessels or dive teams; civilian and humanitarian mine action programs use demining squads with similar capabilities, often under strict safety and legal frameworks, as well as risk education and mine risk reduction.

Training for minehunters emphasizes explosive ordnance disposal, risk assessment, security, and adherence to international mine action standards. Personnel come from military EOD units or civilian demining organizations and may earn certifications that cover weapons handling, first aid, and operations planning. The work is methodical and hazardous, given the persistence of mines in post-conflict zones and the challenging environments in which operations take place.