A modern EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) technician sweeping with a metal detector - long shaft, search head close to the ground, headphones on, hand-counterweight grip. Plate carrier with extra tools. Period: Modern war, 1990-present.
EOD technicians sweep for IEDs and unexploded ordnance ahead of patrols, in chokepoints, and on routes. Vallon VMH3CS and similar pulse-induction detectors became standard NATO kit in Iraq and Afghanistan from the mid-2000s. The slow, methodical sweep is the universal counter-IED posture.
Painting tips
- Uniform: MultiCam/OCP, knees and chest dirty.
- Plate carrier: matching with extra tool pouches.
- Detector shaft: matte olive-tan; search head: matte black.
- Headphones: matte black with brown leather pads.
- Visible tools: paint as wire-cutters, marker flags, probes.
Historical sources & further reading
- Vallon VMH3 reference photography
- NATO counter-IED doctrine references
⚠ Small parts. Not suitable for children under 14.





