Army

£140k Dragon Runner robot and Puma helicopters essential part of explosive team's kit

Watch: How does the EOD team in Cyprus dispose of a suspicious device in a remote location?

The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team are always on 30-minute readiness to move in response to an explosive device being found across British Forces Cyprus.

These scenarios are tightly rehearsed as having the expertise to defuse an explosive is only one part of this puzzle – with time ticking, they also need to be able to reach it quickly.

For an exercise where a suspicious device has been discovered high up and hard to reach in the Troodos mountains, it means working with the Puma helicopters of 84 Squadron.

An essential part of the EOD team's kit is the US-made Dragon Runner robot, which costs £140,000, and allows them to reach inaccessible areas.

It is the job of Corporal Matt Ault, as a number two operator, to control the robot.

He told Forces News: "When we're operating the RCV and we're heading towards the threat area, you're constantly looking, you're constantly taking in as much of the environment as you possibly can.

"You're using that equipment to the best of its capability. You make full use of all the four cameras that you have at your disposal."

Once the robot has done its job, the number one operator undertakes checks up close in a 40-kilo bomb suit plus kit.

An operator always needs to approach the device for checks, even if using a robot, as the motive behind a device is not always clear.

In conflicts such as Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, the military came across scenarios where smaller devices were hidden inside bigger ones, making them difficult for a robot to destroy.

The EOD team must be able to respond to various scenarios, with some taskings lasting dozens of hours.