Suppress enemy forces that can influence the breach. Direct and indirect fires, smoke, CAS integration. The breach team cannot work if they are taking effective fire.
Use smoke to obscure the breach point from enemy observation. Mortars, artillery smoke, hand grenades, vehicle smoke systems. Degrade enemy optics and sensors.
Secure the near side before initiating. Secure the far side immediately after breaching. The assault force holds the far side while follow-on forces exploit.
Reduce: Clear the lane of mines and obstacles.
Proof: Verify the lane is clear — vehicle or dismounted.
Mark: Mark the lane using standard marking sets (panels, lights, tape).
Report: Report lane location and status up the chain immediately.
Place linear charge on lock side of door, 2–3 inches from seam. Det cord or M112 C4. Fire from standoff. Most effective on hollow-core and standard residential doors.
When lock-side is reinforced or barricaded, attack hinges directly. Shaped charges or det cord wrapped at each hinge point. Door falls inward on detonation.
Breaching shotgun rounds (frangible) at 45° angle into lock mechanism. 2–3 rounds. Used for speed and noise discipline — no detonation signature. Less effective on reinforced.
Construct frame from M112 C4 blocks sized to desired breach (min 24"x36" for personnel). Place flat against surface. Det cord connect. For CMU block — 1.5 lbs/sq ft. Poured concrete — increase significantly.
P = pounds of explosive needed
CF = construction factor (CMU=1.5, brick=2, concrete=3+)
T = thickness (feet)
L × W = breach dimensions (feet)
Rotary saw with diamond or carbide blade for concrete and CMU. Thermal lance for steel-reinforced. Slower, lower signature than explosives. Used when collateral damage concerns prevent explosive breach.
Fork, adze, and pick. Fork attacks locks and hinges, adze pries gaps, pick penetrates. Paired with a battering ram (the "irons"). Primary entry tool for mechanical breach.
Manual or pneumatic ram for lock and hinge-side attack. Pneumatic rams (e.g., Hurst) apply 30,000+ lbs of force. Primary for reinforced entry points and vehicle doors.
Jaws of Life / spreader inserted at door seam. Hydraulic force defeats even reinforced frames. Used for vehicle entry and hardened door defeat. Requires power unit.
Rocket-propelled C4-loaded detonating cord. Clears 100m × 8m lane. Fired from M548 or M1 chassis. Primary forced-entry minefield breach system. Massive signature — requires suppression first.
Man-portable. Clears 45m × 1m lane. Rocket-deployed det cord with M18A1 fragmentary grenade clusters. Carried and employed by infantry/engineer pairs. For AP mine and wire obstacle defeat.
Last resort. Probe at 45° angle, 10cm intervals. Maximum safe probing depth 30cm. Mark clear lane with engineer tape. Two soldiers probe simultaneously — one watches, one works.
The primary combined arms breach platform. Full-width mine plow, mine-clearing blade, and two MICLIC rockets. Clears a 100m lane in one pass while protected by M1 armor. The tip of the breach spear.
Armored Caterpillar D9 for obstacle clearing, rubble removal, and hasty breach lane creation. Not mine-protected but defeats wire, berms, anti-tank ditches, and debris obstacles.
Mine-Clearing Armor Blade (MCAB) defeats AP and AT mines by detonation or displacement. Roller detonates pressure-fuzed mines. Flail chains defeat AT mines by blast. Vehicle-mounted, forward of hull.