DSEI 2025: RCV Pioneer Illustrates Integration of Robotics in Counter Mine Operations.

At the DSEI 2025 exhibition, Pearson Engineering presents the RCV-Pioneer equipped with the Minefield Breaching Mission Payload, a system designed to provide combat engineering capabilities to robotic combat vehicles. Built on the principles of rapid interchangeability and adaptability, this configuration demonstrates how a single vehicle can be prepared for specialized tasks through modules that can be exchanged directly in the field.
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The presentation of the minefield breaching variant of RCV-Pioneer at DSEI 2025 highlights the growing role of robotic engineering solutions in modern operations (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The RCV-Pioneer is a preconfigured, self-contained structure to which various engineering tools can be attached. In its minefield breaching role, the system integrates tools specifically designed to clear safe lanes through minefields and other explosive obstacles. Integration and removal of the payload are achieved through a self-lifting mechanism that enables the host vehicle to maneuver underneath the payload for attachment or detachment. Quick-release fastenings, which do not require tools, allow two soldiers to complete the operation in approximately thirty minutes.

The system does not require hydraulic power from the host vehicle. It is equipped with its own hydraulic controls for engineering tools and can function with electrical power from the robotic combat vehicle or generate its own using an integrated diesel engine. This autonomy provides operational flexibility, particularly in degraded environments where logistical constraints are critical.

All missions are controlled remotely via an operator station equipped with joysticks and a touchscreen. This interface integrates video feeds from cameras mounted on the payload to ensure situational awareness during minefield breaching operations. The design also allows for future upgrades toward higher levels of autonomy, paving the way for greater automation in combat support tasks.

In 2021, a prototype combining the RCV-Pioneer and an obstacle clearance payload was tested on the TRX robotic vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Systems. The demonstrator included a manipulator arm capable of lifting up to 500 kilograms, a V-shaped dozer blade for obstacle removal, and a flexible load area. During these trials, conducted at the Manoeuvre Support Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments (MSSPIX) at Fort Leonard Wood, a frame for a Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) was also fitted, highlighting the modularity of the system and its potential for expanded applications.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, combat engineers play a central role in addressing the extensive threat posed by mines and unexploded ordnance. The battlefield is saturated with anti-tank mines, antipersonnel mines, and improvised explosive devices deployed on a large scale to slow advances and protect defensive positions. These devices restrict maneuverability, pose direct risks to troops, and complicate the movement of armored vehicles. Combat engineers work to secure lanes, neutralize explosive hazards, and enable forces to regain the initiative in hostile environments, where each meter of ground can be gained only at high risk if minefields are not cleared.

Beyond the military dimension, demining efforts also carry essential humanitarian importance. Liberated areas in Ukraine remain heavily contaminated with mines, rendering agricultural land and civilian infrastructure unsafe and hindering the return of displaced populations as well as economic recovery. The work of combat engineers therefore contributes to restoring basic security conditions for civilians and reducing the long-term human cost of conflict. The extensive presence of mines in this war illustrates how combat engineering and demining units remain central to modern warfare, both for operational effectiveness and for the protection of populations.

For nearly four decades, Pearson Engineering has developed equipment to enhance the mobility and protection of armored forces. Its solutions enable forces to clear mined routes, address explosive threats, and create or deny obstacles. With the RCV-Pioneer, and particularly with the minefield breaching configuration, this approach has been extended to robotic platforms, adapting mission payloads to the requirements of mobility, counter-mobility, and protection.

The presentation of the minefield breaching variant of RCV-Pioneer at DSEI 2025 highlights the growing role of robotic engineering solutions in modern operations. By combining modularity, autonomous power generation, and remote operation, the system provides armed forces with a tool designed to adapt to specialized missions and emerging threats. Pearson Engineering, headquartered in Newcastle, continues to focus on the development of technologies to meet contemporary operational needs. The spread of such systems is expected to accelerate as armed forces expand the use of unmanned platforms for combat support missions.