UAV-based Detection of Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

Wars may officially end and treaties may be signed, but their lethal legacy lives on in the form of unexploded ordinance and minefields that continue to harm civilian populations. Aerial reconnaissance reduces the need for risky, costly and time-consuming ground operations, and the rapid development of unmanned aerial vehicles offers crucial innovations for addressing the aftermath of conflicts worldwide. Aleksandar Smiljanic, an international recognized subject matter expert in next generation defence technologies, examines current developments in technology, electronics, and unmanned autonomous systems that are increasingly allowing military experts to address the challenges of mine clearance and left-over munitions, thereby helping to neutralize the dangers posed by former battlefields. Focusing on the role that unmanned vehicle reconnaissance can play in future identification and clearance operations, the author's timely and critical account - richly illustrated and with a host of supporting scientific and mathematical evidence throughout - offers a fertile and thought-provoking array of solutions to a scourge that has affected civilian populations and civic infrastructure throughout the world for decades. This is a must-read for political and military policymakers and a vital contribution to global efforts at humanitarian relief when it comes to rebuilding the social, political, economic, and cultural landscape of affected populations, with effects not just on their own countries but consequences for us all.