The US Panther II Mine Clearing Vehicle uses the M1 Abrams chassis

The US Army has always deployed mine rollers/ploughs on the front of its Main Battle Tanks, which normally was the lead vehicle and would clear a path for the following vehicles. The Panther II is a whole other animal. The Panther II is a modified M1 hull with its turret removed and two arms mounted on the front with the sole purpose of clearing minefields. Each arm has five heavy rollers and the arms can move up and down with the contours of the terrain. The pressure exerted on the ground from the weight of the rollers triggers the mines causing no damage to the vehicle.

The vehicle is operated via remote control (a large briefcase using CCTV) by a single operator up to 780m away. It offers a safer alternative to human engineers with hand held equipment clearing a minefield as well as the advantage of speed. It can clear a 50,000sq foot minefield in one hour. The US Army currently has six Panther II’s. They have been deployed in Balkans (Bosnia/Kosovo) and Iraq.