Polish “Toczek” Mine Countermeasures Helping to Protect the Baltic Sea

Image: OBR CTM S.A.
Image: OBR CTM S.A.

OBR CTM S.A. announced that almost 100 “Toczek” mine countermeasures have already been delivered to the Polish Navy. The explosive charges in question have been designed and are made in Poland.

“Toczek” remote-control explosives have been developed and manufactured by the OBR CTM S.A. company (Research and Development Center - Center for Maritime Technology) based in Gdynia. The system is filled with explosives at the “NITRO-CHEM” facility in Bydgoszcz. The solution in question has been prepared with the Polish MCMVs in mind. After coming off the production line the explosives are sent to a warehouse in Gdynia and then they are received by the users.

“Toczek” explosives have become one of our signature products in the mine countermeasures domain. They have been, for years now, successfully employed by the vessels of the Polish Navy. They have become one of the primary mine countermeasures used by our fleet.

Marcin Wiśniewski - acting President of the Management Board at OBR CTM S.A.

Remotely detonated explosives are a necessity in situations when the given area cannot undergo an effective minesweeping operation and when sea mines are detected, constituting a threat to the nearby vessels. Then the mines are neutralized with the use of explosives of proper size. These are delivered to the location where the mines are found with the use of “Ukwiał” or “Morświn” unmanned underwater systems (developed by the Gdansk University of Technology) or by divers.

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Image: OBR CTM S.A.

 

Three types of explosives as such have been developed at OBR CTM S.A. (these can be operated at depths from 6 to 150 meters). Two of them: “Toczek A” and “Toczek B” are placed near the mines by the underwater vehicles.

The A version is the largest one (250x450 mm), weighing 48 kilograms and containing 40 kilograms of TNT. It is lowered close to the mine with the use of a mechanism placed on an underwater vehicle, and it is used, primarily, to destroy the bottom mines, including the buried mines.

The B version is smaller (180x340 mm) and weighs 10 kilograms, it contains 5.7 kilograms of TNT. Toczek B is placed close to the mine with the use of a special-purpose arm fitted onto the submersible vehicle. The arm in question makes it possible to precisely place the charge close to the mine, with proper, safe distance maintained.

The C variant is the smallest one, weighing 3 kilograms and dedicated for divers and underwater craft. It carries a small quantity of explosives, but placing it precisely in direct vicinity of the neighbouring anchored mine guarantees proper effectiveness in cutting the rope that holds the mine and attaches it to the anchor.

Not only are the explosives manufactured in Bydgoszcz utilized in land or air domains, they are also used underwater. Over the upcoming years we would be providing explosive material for further explosives, to provide safety of shipping nearby the Baltic coast.

Krzysztof Kozłowski, President at NITRO-CHEM S.A.

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