Equipment enabling troops to set off safely? (4,8)
I believe the answer is:
mine detector
'equipment' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'enabling troops to set off safely?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'troops' could be 'or' (military abbreviation for other ranks) and 'or' is found within the answer.
'set' could be 'detect' (detecting is a kind of setting) and 'detect' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'mine' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
(Other definitions for mine detector that I've seen before include "Device finding concealed explosives" , "Device for locating explosives" , "Explosive locator" .)