Introduction

Welcome to Demolitions Level I — Apprentice Demolitions Technician Certification. In this course, you will learn the basics of demolitions, your first stage of training as a Demolitions Technician, or demo tech.

This course will cover four main areas: the basic principles behind demolitions, types of operations demolitions are used in, equipment normally used by demolitions technicians, and the difference between a Demolitions Technician and a heavy weapons trooper.

Principles of Demolition

One of the first things to remember about demolitions is this: when a demolitions team is called, something needs blowing up. More accurately, something that cannot be handled by conventional warfare needs blowing up; it’s extremely hard to demolish a building with blaster rifles.

So, the demolitions technicians come in. Inside a few minutes, they’ve scouted the building, bridge, or other target, figured out the best way to bring it down, and have placed the charges. One twist of the detonator and the rest of the unit is free to operate. Such is the life of the Demolitions Technician.

Demolitions operate on a few basic principles:

1. During a demolitions operation, make sure the target is destroyed as quickly and effectively as possible.
2. In addition to the destruction of the target, the safety of both the demolitions squad and other friendly units should be taken into consideration.
3. Every effort should be made to complete a mission as efficiently as possible so that resources are not wasted.

In more detail:

1. During a demolitions operation, make sure the target is destroyed as quickly and effectively as possible. The reasoning behind this is simple: the continued existence of the target is an obstacle in the operations of our units. Getting the job done quickly means that our forces will be able to continue operating in a shorter amount of time. Getting the job done effectively contributes to the effectiveness of our forces. If a planetary turbolaser turret, for example, is only half destroyed, it can still be extremely dangerous — they might not be able to fire as often, but they can still fire. This must be avoided. Get the job done right the first time so that there are no more losses than absolutely necessary — except on the other side.

2. In addition to the destruction of the targer, the safety of both the demolitions squad and other friendly units should be taken into consideration. Yes, if you want to destroy a building, it’s possible to set up enough explosive charge to not only completely destroy it, but totally demolish everything in a five-mile radius. However, this is extremely counterproductive: the job of a demolitions trooper is to support his forces, not act as a front-line combatant. Killing everything in a five-mile radius may hurt the enemy, but it will hurt us just as much, because our forces will be reduced. Thus, any demolition operation undertaken should keep the safety of our forces in mind. The enemy, of course, is certainly a fair target.

3. Every effort should be make to complete a mission as efficiently as possible so that resources are not wasted. While it’s very true that it’s easy (and impressive) to take a building down by layering detonite all over its walls to see it explode like a fragmentation grenade, it’s also a huge waste of time and resources. Why waste that much equipment destroying a building when you can use shaped charges on the structural supports and let the building collapse in on itself? If a door blocks the advance of a line squad, don’t blow the entire door away, just blow the hinges off and the door will open very easily. If you have a bridge that needs to be demolished, you don’t need to destroy every single plank, just put sequencer charges on the main beams and the bridge will fold with little or no effort. If you need to destroy a power station, don’t blow the walls out, set a charge on the reactor. The point is that you don’t need to use a lot of equipment when a small amount will be just as effective. Not only will it conserve resources, but it will be safer for all involved.

Types of Demolition Operations

There are four main types of demolitions operations: battlefield support, defensive demolitions (minelaying), anti-demolitions, and special operations.

Battlefield support missions are possibly the most common missions run by demolitions squads. The demo team will follow immediately behind the front-line troops, destroying targets as necessary. Usually, demo teams like this will be under the control of the commander of the front-line force.

Defensive demolitions, also known as minelaying, are also very common operations. These will usually be undertaken in support of a base, where the demo techs will set up a defensive perimeter of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines in support of base defences such as turrets and sentry towers.

Anti-demolitions (minesweeping) operations are the reverse of defensive demolitions, and are usually carried out as part of battlefield support missions. The demolitions troopers will use their equipment to find and prematurely detonate enemy mines, this greatly reducing or eliminating the risk to our soldiers.

Special operations are missions undertaken with very little or no support, and are almost exclusively covert. One or two demolitions specialists will make a pre-emptive strike with a special operations team to disable or destroy enemy emplacements, rendering them useless in upcoming conflicts.

Equipment Description

Demo techs use many different types of equipment in their mission. While most of their equipment is the actual demolition charges, there are a few other items worth mentioning.

Sequencer charges, also known as proton grenades, are some of the most common explosives used by demolitions teams, They are designed to direct a large amount of force into a very small area, making them useful for breaching and selective demolition operations, like destroying the structural supports of a building or punching a hole through a large speeder’s armour. Sequencer charges can be rigged to detonate either one at a time or simultaneously, and can be detonated by timer, signal, or tripwire, making them very versatile.

Shaped charges are a less powerful form of sequencer charges, usually used for smaller breaching operations, like making holes in doors or destroying structural supports of smaller buildings and bridges. Like sequencer charges, shaped charges can be set to detonate either one at a time or simultaneously, and can also be detonated either by timer, signal, or tripwire.

Thermal detonators use a baradium core to produce a small fusion reaction, vaporising anything within a certain distance. Generally, thermal detonators are used for breaching operations where doors or windows are either heavily reinforced or not easily available. They can also be used as large-scale anti-personnel weapons. However, the baradium core is extremely unstable, so thermal detonators are rarely used. They can be detonated via timer or “dead-man” switch (a release on the detonator is held down, usually in a trooper’s hand, and the detonator will go off if the switch is released).

Detonite is a plastic explosive used in much the same manner as thermal detonators are, and although the blast radius is smaller, it is much more stable to transport. Detonite is usually a sort of putty that is spread out over the surface to demolish. However, it must be used with a detonator, or otherwise detonated under extreme heat.

Detonite tape is basically a form of adhesive tape that is covered in a very small amount of detonite, It, too, must be set off with a detonator, and it is not nearly as powerful as regular detonite, but can be used very effectively in “finesse” operations such as breaking the lock linkage on a door or severing one or two wires inside a computer panel. Like detonite, it must be set off with a detonator or under extreme heat.

Thermite gel is a somewhat more esoteric and rare material, used to burn through the sides of reinforced bunkers at incredibly high temperatures. It can be used in situations where the blast from detonite would be dangerous, such as trying to breach a heavily reinforced room where friendly prisoners were being kept. It also must be set off with a detonator.

Mines are the quintessential defensive demolitions device. A mine is essentially a shaped charge with a contact detonator, placed in a neat metal package and buried so that someone or something can step on it. There are generally two types of mines: anti-personnel mines and anti-vehicle mines. Anti-personnel mines usually have a smaller payload and are set off with a pressure sensor. Anti-vehicle mines have a larger (usually shaped) charge, and can be rigged either with pressure sensors or magnetic sensors that will detect large pieces of metal (such as a landspeeder).

Detonators are an integral part of a demo tech’s work. Many of the more powerful explosives (detonite, thermite gel) are used with detonators. Detonators come in many different types: motion sensor, contact/pressure, tripwire, timer, remote (either a “twist” detonator or by signal), magnetic sensor… the list goes on and on. However, regardless of the trigger, all detonators work by sending an electrical charge through the material to be detonated. The detonators themselves are usually re-usable, though the wires running to the explosive are usually utterly destroyed in each blast, and must be replaced.

Explosives detectors are the last part of the essential demo tech’s kit. Explosives detectors are specialised weapons detectors used to determine whether there are any explosives nearby. They are usually used to detect traps and mines.

The Difference Between Demolitions and Heavy Weapons

Many people both inside and outside the Imperial armed forces have trouble with the concept of a difference between demolitions and heavy weapons. The best definition of a difference is this: Heavy weapons are a variety of weapons used against a variety of targets in a variety of settings. Demolitions is the act of using explosives (usually impractical for quickly-changing combat settings) to demolish or defend a stationary target.

Also, the equipment used in demolitions is different. In heavy weapons, they will use items such as repeating blaster rifles, grenades, and missile launchers. In demolitions, we usually use things such as sequencer charges, shaped charges, thermal detonators, detonite, thermite gel, and the like.