On July 15-16 members of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Colonel Juozas Vitkus Engineer Battalion are running detonation tests on various types of bunkers at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area. The trials are held to determine the best materials for protecting the force against hostile artillery which will be later reflected in fortification of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and readiness for armed defence of the state.
The tests will help assess the resilience of bunkers produced of different materials against the impact of hostile fire which is simulated by using the amounts of explosives typical to standard Russian artillery shells so that, the pressure, sound, vibration of bunker walls and other parameters resulting from the explosion are measured. The method helps to determine if seemingly unaffected bunkers are still a good protection for the personnel in them after an attack and to pick the most suitable materials for building such shelters based on the determined results and construction costs.
The tested bunkers are a part of company support point project planned to be completed by the end of the year in two Lithuanian Armed Forces Areas: General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area in Pabradė and General Kazys Veverskis Taing Area in Kazlų Rūda. A company support point is over a kilometer-long defensive positions suitable for a company-sized (120 members) military unit. Developed company support points would become permanent training area infrastructure and used for fixed positions training. The position development is done applying the best practices known in fortifications, lessons learned in Ukraine and the best and most innovative solutions in order to ensure maximum protection of troops on the defensive. When the materials offered by manufacturers are determined to provide the best protection against exposition through practical tests and the most efficient version of the protective positions for military personnel is selected, the selection will also be used to install other positions and equip the future engineer fortification sites.
Photo credits: Sgt Spc Karolis Kavolėlis.
