(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/AcoolVW/diverse/052_pics.jpg)

At first glance...
My money is on Italian minesweepers with funny boots...j/k

Definitely new age mine detection equipment. In that the boots are meant to disperse the weight of the guys operating the regular detection gear, thereby lessening the chance of detonating AP mines. If I remember my training, one of these two, should be a distance behind in his lane, to avoid losing both to one detonation.  What is the source of the pic?

ays,

J

Judging the color of the uniform and the weapon in combination with the belt , Id say those are Israeli soldiers.

the internet  ;D , found it on a forum with funny pics...

The large pads on their boots is not meant to protect them against AT mines. Normally the pressure setting for AT mines is at 300 pounds or over. If you lay an AT mine you don't want a soldier on foot setting it off.

Normally the pressure for AP mines is very low. It would depend on the trigger mechanism. Pressure only should have those pads be pretty effective.

That would possibly allow the detector gear the ability to detect them and remove them. However, my biggest concern is why are the pads needed?

If they engineer troops can't detect the mines BEFORE they detonate them then what value is them passing over them and leaving them for the following infantry units?

As a combat engineer our job was to clear a path through the mines for the following troops. Not just have me walk over them without detonating them.

That picture doesn't make any, real situation value, sense to me.

Good Hunting.

MR

MR asks:


FM sez:


I suspect, concern for non-mag AP mines guarding the AT mines. once AT mines are neutralized in the lane, Any heavy piece of armor should be able to clear the lane for infantry.

MR sez:


Might be some trials for new gear, or a training setting, as Ive not read any articles on their actual use, yet..

My guesses anyway.

ays,

J

Non-magnetic AP mines are found and cleared through probing. Not walking around with pads on your feet.

The ones we had were very small and olive drab in color. They would be easy to spot in that terrain by their color. burying them deeper than say 1-3 inches would greatly diminish their effects.

Good Hunting.

MR

MR sez:


This may well be, someones idea of a different way to skin a cat. I could see a tactical situation where speed is essential, therefore all AP mines are bypassed (with the aid of these pads), for the heavys to detonate with little risk to personnel. As you know, depending on circumstances, taking the time to probe the lanes, isn't always feasible, when you've a tight time line for completion of the mission.
My money is on a testing/training environment. Because, I sure hope someone is attempting to improve the methods of dealing with the bastards.

ays,

J

My idea also, speed crossing mine lanes in a training/demonstration environment (still, the guys should not be as close to each other; OTOH this might be well an optical illusion for using a long tele lens by the photographer, in this case they could physically be more than 8 mtrs apart photographed from more than 200 mtrs away but appear closer due to so-called "compression"; actually the small depth-of-field at good light makes such an interpretation well probable), the source should help to refine it down.



(NOTE that in above citation the "distant" object would always be the sold some mtrs ahead of the other as we are thinking relatively here; I will edit again if find a visually clear example. ALSO NOTE that the perspective solely depends on camera position and not the lens chosen, but of cause you - when farther away- chose the longer lens to have your subject frame-filling, hence the linguistical shortcut...)

Rattler

EDIT for (and adding to) above post:

Now found an example for what I am talking about:

The 2nd of those pics shows the compression effect (buiilding and statue seem much closer to each other as in #1, even the statue gets flatter with the effect that the face angles seem different), also note the reduced depth of field:

(http://www.townerjones.com/images/blog/20080915-01-0006-00-f-blog.jpg)

(http://www.townerjones.com/images/blog/20080915-01-0008-00-f-blog.jpg)

This could explain the soldiers appearing so close to each other (and is my educated guess, actually)

Rattler

been looking at the picture for some time now and I'm starting to believe that it's a miniatures set-up....

look at both left hands...
see how short the are is where the picture is focused...

could be wrong but something seems to be wrong

Koen,

I think you got it. Congrats.

Explains everythig said so far.

Rattler

Would compression effect alter shadows, to make the soldier on lefts shadow fall upon the other soldier even if he is some distance ahead?

J

no, of cause. That is why miniatures makes so much sense.

Rattler

I have asked my friend in the IDf if he knows anything about this picture, what its supposed to be at least :)

well, I was right, they are Israeli soldiers engineers.
The shoes are like sponges, he did not really know how they work but he will ask his friend who is an engineer :)
Basic idea is that the shoes make a soldier really light, so a mine cant explode by pressure.

Did you specifically ask them why they were so close to each other (shadow)?

My take still: Miniature.

I look forward to your IDF comrades comments to this statement.

Rattler

I dont know if these are miniatures or real man.
All I do know no that this depicts Israeli engineers looking for AP mines.
The equipment you see is real.

He is on exercise now so I think I hear it next week :)

The Dutch army also bought this stuff :)

They are in fact small hoovercrafts, large square bodies filled with air.
The shoe adapts itself to the relief in the ground.
The pressure of the body is divided evenly across the shoes, reducing the chance for mines to detonate.
It also offers some protection for the wearer.
I saw several pictures in the armies newspaper, and indeed the man walk next to eachother with about 1 meter of space between them.
5 years ago they were used first, not to detect mines but to get out of a detected minefield fast.

Facts and data:

5 aircussins per shoe.
The cover is als resistant against salt water.
Size: 140 x 350x 700 mm
Weight: 2,6 kg per shoe
Volume: 25 liters

Assuming you are right, still the mystery of the pic is not solved:

I count 27 compartments (28 minus the one cut off at the edge), how would this make for 5 compartments in the structure depicted?

Together with the strange depth-of-field seen in the pictures and alerted by Koen I would still vote "miniatures"?

Rattler

Probably the ones bought by the dutch army are different.
However the technique and the equipment is the same.
And regarding the miniatures, there are to many details that cant be done that exactly, even with 1/35 scale.
Like the weapons and the magazines attached to it.
The specific colour of the IDF uniform and more.