North East defence specialist Pearson Engineering has secured a contract with the Ministry of Defence to provide equipment to counter the threat of mines being used in the war in Ukraine.
The Newcastle based business, which is based at the historic Armstrong Works on Scotswood Road, has been enlisted by the MoD to supply the kit to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as part of a £100m-plus mine clearance package, which was initially announced last autumn.
The maintenance and manoeuvre support package – unveiled by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) on behalf of the Government and the Ƶ-backed International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) – has been awarded to Pearson Engineering to supply mine clearance equipment that will allow armoured vehicles already in Ukraine to add mine ploughs which have been gifted by the British Army and refurbished by Pearson. The mine ploughs can clear safe routes and can also be used to ward off other obstacles, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Remotely controlled mine clearance vehicles called MW370s have also been provided, to help create safe routes across large stretches of land, as well as Barbadian Mine Rollers designed to protect against pressure-fused mines and IEDs. Equipment has been provided with spares and sustainment packages, to help support the Ukrainian Armed Forces while they are in conflict with Russia.
Ian Bell, group chief executive officer at Pearson Engineering said: “Design and delivery of this type of lifesaving equipment is at the heart of Pearson Engineering’s operations. We have supplied more than 3,000 mine ploughs of various types around the world, and we continually invest to ensure that we can defeat modern threats as they evolve.
“We are trusted by international Armed Forces and we are committed to continuing to defeat battlefield obstacles to keep soldiers safe.”
Ukraine is now the most heavily mined country in the world and, without equipment to mitigate the threat of such devices to life and assets, operations to defend the country’s borders could be significantly hindered.
Maj Gen Anna-Lee Reilly, head of strategic capability, engagement and operations at DE&S, said: “We continue to work collaboratively with our industrial partners to ensure that Ukraine has the mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal capabilities it needs, both for the current battle, but also in the interests of a safer and more secure environment for the people of Ukraine in the longer term.”
The contract follows collaboration between Pearson and Germany’s Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft (FFG) to supply route-opening mine ploughs to Ukraine, building upon decades of partnership to support European armed forces to overcome the threat of anti-tank mines.
