The landmine charity HALO Trust is developing the world's largest demining operation in Afghanistan. For this task, the company chose four modified JCB models: a 457ZX front loader, a Hydradig, a Teletruk and an 8008 micro excavator. Soon, an armored JCB 220X will join. All equipment is painted white to emphasize the humanitarian nature of the activities.

The cabin of the new JCB 220X model received an explosion-proof armor considering the level of risk in the area, given the multitude of pressure-sensitive IED (improvised explosive device) mines.
Equipped with a quick-release device, it can quickly switch between an excavation bucket and a rake, which can be extremely effective in finding and safely dislocating landmines.

The protection used by the JCB 220X was provided by Martin Williams (Hull) Ltd. which has a division specializing in the design and production of armored vehicles. His clients include the UK Ministry of Defense, the United Nations, NATO, as well as other non-governmental, humanitarian and charitable organizations such as HALO. The cabin has 10 cm thick windows and three layers of explosion protection, made of Armox 440T reinforced steel, which is specially designed for vehicle armor, offering resistance to penetration and explosion.

"If we look at the latest UN report on Afghanistan, with the inventory of FDI mines responsible for the second civil conflict in terms of deaths and injuries, we are eager to expand our capacity to find and dispose of mines and, as a humanitarian charity, This is as soon as possible, so we look forward to the team joining the Afghanistan team soon. ” said Calvin Ruysen, HALO Trust Operations Director for Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa. HALO Trust is the largest humanitarian mine clearance organization, founded in Afghanistan in 1988. It has 8,000 full-time employees and operates in 19 countries and territories in conflict or post-conflict.