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.
Explosive
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.
Flexible water-filled bag placed against the door with explosive charge behind it. Water acts as tamping medium — transfers blast energy efficiently while dramatically reducing fragmentation and near-side overpressure. Preferred for occupied structures and hostage rescue scenarios.
Ring of det cord or C4 formed around the lock cylinder or handle. Focuses energy at the mechanical failure point — shears the cylinder without blowing the door off its frame. Fast to construct and place. Minimal collateral damage to far side.
Explosive charge cut to human body outline and placed flat against a reinforced door or wall. On detonation creates an immediate man-sized entry point. Used by SOF for speed — bypasses the frame entirely. Higher explosive consumption than strip charges.
When the door is impassable, breach the wall adjacent to it. Rectangular frame of M112 C4 or det cord sized for personnel passage (min 24"×36"). Avoids booby-trapped doors and hardened frames. Often the faster option against CMU block construction.
Rubber-jacketed flexible explosive strip, adhesive-backed. Cut to length and pressed along lock side or door seam — conforms to irregular surfaces. Lower fragmentation signature than rigid C4 blocks. Reduces risk to assault element on near side. Also called ribbon charge or flex linear.
Ballistic
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.
Mechanical
Halligan bar and sledgehammer worked as a two-man team. Halligan fork driven into the gap at the lock or hinge, sledge drives it home. Pry and lever to defeat the frame. Standard for most wooden and light metal doors. Quiet, fast, no consumables.
Manual or pneumatic ram strikes the door at the lock-side. Pneumatic rams apply 30,000+ lbs of force — defeat most reinforced residential and light commercial doors. Favored when explosive signature is not acceptable and ballistic defeat has failed.
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.