An extremely interesting M58 MICLIC (Mine Clearing Line Charge) vehicle has been spotted in possession of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This system is designed for remote demining and destruction of the enemy's defense lines.
In fact, it is an American version of the Soviet UR-77, which has a similar principle of operation: shoots out a rocket-propelled projectile tailed by a cable filled with explosive material; the projectile stretches the explosive toward a mined area. The novelty in the ranks of the Ukrainian army was noticed by Ukraine Weapons Tracker. The photo appears to have been taken relatively recently.
Read more: Rare Footage of Ukrainian Forces Clearing the Way with a Captured UR-77 Vehicle (Video)
The importance of Ukraine’s defense forces receiving such a system should not be underestimated, since russian occupiers are actively trying to build up concrete defenses, the so-called "Wagner’s lines" and already digging trenches on the left bank of the Dnipro river in the South.
And it’s not only that the M58 MICLIC has the ability to clear minefields, it is also effective precisely for breaching a passage through such defense lines. How it happens in practice, see in the video below:
The M58 MICLIC is capable of making a passage about 100 m long and 8 m wide. The total amount of explosive substance in a single line charge is more than 1.2 tons. But we should note that the rocket's flight range is relatively short: only about 60 meters from the end of the cable to the launcher. That is why there is even a special version of the system based on the M1 Abrams tank.
Another notable detail is that the delivery of the M58 MICLIC was not pointed out in any way and, most likely, in the list of aid provided by the United States it was labeled simply as "mine clearing equipment and systems" along with other related equipment.
Read more: "Wagner’s Line" is Created by the russians in Belgorod Oblast: Can These White Pyramids Become a Potent Defense Line?