PRODUCT : MODS & Mobile Cutting System
The tools available to an EOD operator in the field directly determine what is possible — and what is safe. For decades, many disposal tasks required a choice between high-risk manual techniques, environmentally damaging open detonation, or expensive and cumbersome waterjet systems that couldn’t be deployed where they were actually needed.
Golden West’s product development work was driven by a straightforward question: what do expert EOD operators actually need, and does it exist? In most cases, it didn’t. So we built it.
Golden West’s product development work was driven by a straightforward question: what do expert EOD operators actually need, and does it exist? In most cases, it didn’t. So we built it.
Mobile Ordnance Disposal System (MODS)
Patent pending. Manufactured and sold by Heartland Technologies LLC, Kansas City MO, USA.
MODS addresses a specific operational gap that no existing tool adequately filled: the need to selectively separate electronics from energetics in first-seen or complex munitions, without initiating a detonation, in a package that can actually reach the problem.
It is a highly specialised evolution of the Golden West Mobile Cutting System, incorporating the Non-Explosive Disposal System (NEDS)™ thermal torch component — giving operators a controlled, precise means of working on the most demanding render safe and exploitation tasks that standard EOD procedures cannot resolve.
MODS addresses a specific operational gap that no existing tool adequately filled: the need to selectively separate electronics from energetics in first-seen or complex munitions, without initiating a detonation, in a package that can actually reach the problem.
It is a highly specialised evolution of the Golden West Mobile Cutting System, incorporating the Non-Explosive Disposal System (NEDS)™ thermal torch component — giving operators a controlled, precise means of working on the most demanding render safe and exploitation tasks that standard EOD procedures cannot resolve.
Designed for the Hardest Problems
MODS is not a general-purpose tool. It is designed for operators who already have significant EOD experience and who are regularly called upon to deal with situations — booby-traps, novel devices, first-seen threats, exploitation requirements — where standard procedure offers no clear path. It gives those operators new options where previously there were none.
Transportable Everywhere It’s Needed
MODS meets transportation requirements for air, sea, and land deployment. Packaging and configuration have been developed to satisfy the restrictions imposed by each mode, so operators aren’t forced to choose between the right tool and the right logistics solution.
Golden West Mobile Cutting System (MCS)
The MCS was born from the Explosive Harvesting Programme — the realisation that cutting fuzes from munitions to harvest explosive material for demolition charges was far safer, cleaner, and more reliable than any alternative technique. What started as a programme-specific solution became a tool with broad application across EOD and mine action operations worldwide.
The system uses a modified heavy-duty bandsaw with enhanced cooling to remotely cut the fuze from the explosive body of an ordnance item — separating the initiating element from the main charge without detonation risk, and without the chemical effluent produced by waterjet cutting.
The Numbers
ordnance types compatible with MCS
23000
+
- Handles items up to and including an MK84 general purpose bomb
- Supports projectiles from 25mm to 175mm diameter
- Typical field setup time: one hour
- Transportable by truck, trailer, or ATV
- Thousands of safe cuts completed across multiple continents
Why It Matters for the Environment
Open detonation — the most common alternative to cutting — generates blast overpressure, fragmentation, toxic smoke, and ground contamination. In agricultural areas, near settlements, or in ecologically sensitive sites, this is often not acceptable. The MCS eliminates these impacts entirely, making it the preferred solution wherever communities and clearance operations share the same space.
Training and
Certification
As the designers and developers of the MCS — with more safe cuts than any other organisation on earth — Golden West is uniquely positioned to train and certify MCS operators and to support governments and programme managers in developing MCS operating standards. We actively work with institutional partners to ensure that MCS capability is built on a solid technical foundation, not just familiarity with the equipment.
We built the tools that didn’t exist. Now we train others to use them safely.
Let’s Build National Capacity
and Safer Communities Together
Lasting humanitarian impact depends on strong partnerships and shared expertise. Discover how to collaborate with Golden West and support communities worldwide.