The AT2 mine is a scatterable anti-tank mine developed by Dynamit Nobel. It can be scattered from artillery rockets or from mine laying systems, and is in service with the British, German [1] and Norwegian armed forces. AT2 mines were donated to Ukraine by Germany. [1]
The mine is cylindrical with a hemispherical top and flat bottom. A thin aerial-like wire extends from the top of the mine, and is the S3 "scratch wire" contact fuze. Five or more metal legs (depending on the exact model) around the base of the mine fold out to stand the mine upright. Additionally the mine is fitted with a small plastic parachute when it is deployed from rockets to reduce the impact when the mine lands.
The mine is triggered when the scratch wire fuze drags along the bottom of a vehicle or when it is crushed by pressure. Additionally the mine has a magnetic-influence fuze. The mine uses a Misznay-Schardin effect warhead to penetrate the belly of armour vehicles; the projectile formed is optimized for after-armour effects. The mine auto-destructs after one of six selectable periods, up to a maximum of four days; the self-destruct mechanism is reported to be 99% reliable. [2] Should the self-destruct mechanism fail, the battery powering the fuze would fail after a short period of time. The mine is additionally fitted with an unspecified anti-handling device. [3]
After the Ottawa Treaty, Italy concluded that the fuze of the AT2 was sensitive enough to be set off by a person and destroyed its stockpile of 45,000 mines. [4]
A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it.
High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity shaped charge jet; this is capable of penetrating armor steel to a depth of seven or more times the diameter of the charge. The shaped charge jet armor penetration effect is purely kinetic in nature; the round has no explosive or incendiary effect on the armor.
The Unrotated Projectile (UP) was a British anti-aircraft and ground-bombardment rocket of the Second World War. A 7-inch version was developed for the Royal Navy by Alwyn Crow of the Projectile Development Establishment of the Ministry of Supply at Fort Halstead. It proved unreliable and ineffective and was withdrawn from use in 1941. Development of the concept led to the UP-2 and UP-3, which had diameters of 2-inch and 3-inch respectively but were longer. The latter was used as the basis of the Z Battery anti-aircraft weapons and later developed in air-to-ground form as the RP-3, used against ground forces and shipping by aircraft like the Hawker Typhoon and the Bristol Beaufighter. In 1944–1945 several adaptations for general bombardment were produced, including Sea Mattress, Land Mattress, LILO and Tulip.
The Tellermine 43 was a German circular steel cased anti-tank blast mine used during the Second World War. It was a simplified version of the Tellermine 42, which enabled simpler production techniques. Between March 1943 and the end of World War II, over 3.6 million Tellermine 43s were produced by Germany. Copies of the mine were produced by several countries including Denmark (M/47), France and Yugoslavia (TMM-1).
The TM-46 mine is a large, circular, metal-cased Soviet anti-tank mine. It uses either a pressure or tilt-rod fuze, which is screwed into the top. Anti-tank mines with this type of fuze were capable of inflicting much more damage to armored vehicles, when compared to a typical anti-personnel mine.
The SATM mine is a Chinese copy of the AT2 scatterable anti-tank mine. It is scattered either from a mine scattering vehicle or by 122 mm Type 84 rockets which hold eight mines each. The mine functions in the same way as the AT-2 with a seismic sensor that activates the mine and a magnetic influence sensor combined with a "scraping wire" sensor to ensure optimum detonation.
The M15 mine is a large circular United States anti-tank blast mine, first deployed during the Korean War. Essentially, it is a larger version of the M6A2 anti-tank mine, which it replaced. Although the M15 has been superseded by the M19 mine, the U.S. retains large stocks of M15s because they are still regarded as reliable and effective weapons. When used against main battle tanks the M15 is primarily a "track-breaker" which creates mobility kills, but has a comparatively small likelihood of causing crew fatalities. However, when used against light vehicles such as APCs or unarmored vehicles such as trucks the damage it can inflict is much more severe.
The VS-1.6 is an Italian circular plastic-cased scatterable anti-tank blast mine. It has very few metal components and is resistant to overpressure and shock. The mine can also be deployed conventionally and from helicopters. It was produced by Valsella Meccanotecnica, but production has ceased.
The VS-50 is a circular plastic-cased anti-personnel blast mine that entered production in 1985. It was formerly made by the now-defunct Valsella Meccanotecnica SpA, an Italian high-tech defence company specialized in area denial systems. The company also the made the Valmara 69, and was one of the first to implement plastic construction for landmines. The VS-50's design is similar to that of the TS-50 and VS-MK2 mines. It is blast resistant and can be used in a minimum metal configuration. Though unlikely to kill, its explosive charge is quite sufficient to destroy the victim's foot, being capable of penetrating 5 mm of mild steel leaving an 80 mm-diameter hole.
The TM-62 is a Soviet anti-tank blast mine made in many variants. It has a central fuze and typically a 7.5 kilograms (17 lb) explosive charge, but the variants differ greatly in detail. The mine can be laid manually or automatically from a mine laying machine including the PMR-1, PMR-2 wheeled towed mine layers, the GMZ-3 tracked mine laying vehicle and the VMR-2 helicopter mine laying system. The TM-62 can be fitted with the same fuzes as the TM-72, which include MVN-72 and MVN-80 fuzes, which are vibration and magnetism sensitive. The mine was used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Riegel mine 43 or is a German steel cased anti-tank bar mine used during the Second World War. The mine is a long thin rectangle. It consists of a lower and upper metal tray, and an internal metal-cased explosive block. It uses two ZZ42 fuzes inserted into either end of the internal block, although it can be used with an additional pressure fuze on the top. The mine is similar to the Italian B-2 mine. A variant, the Riegel mine 44 was also produced with a different fuze. Approximately 3,051,400 were produced between 1943 and 1945.
An anti-handling device is an attachment to or an integral part of a landmine or other munition such as some fuze types found in general-purpose air-dropped bombs, cluster bombs and sea mines. It is designed to prevent tampering or disabling, or to target bomb disposal personnel. When the protected device is disturbed, it detonates, killing or injuring anyone within the blast area. There is a strong functional overlap of booby traps and anti-handling devices.
The FFV 028 is a series of steel cased Swedish anti-tank mines that use electronic fuzes. The mines are circular, with a large Misznay Schardin effect warhead in the center of the mine, with the fuzing and sensor electronics located in the dead space above the main charge. The design of the mine dates from the 1970s and uses a magnetic influence sensor to detonate the mine, making it able to attack the full width of armoured vehicles.
The HPD-1, HPD-2 and HPD-3 are a series of French electrically fuzed anti-tank landmines of TDA Armements that use Misnay–Schardin effect warheads. The entire series of mines conform to the United States MIL-STD-331.
The MN-121 is a Polish scatterable anti-tank mine, externally similar to the German AT-2 mine. The mine is cylindrical with ten wire legs which fold outward to keep the mine upright. The mine uses a magnetic influence fuze, which triggers the mine when a vehicle passes over it. The mine also has an anti-handling device which triggers the mine if it is moved. The mine's warhead is a shaped charge design containing approximately 700 grams of RDX. The manufacturer claims that it is capable of penetrating 60 millimeters of armour at an offset of half a meter.
The MPB is a Polish off-route anti-tank mine. It was developed by BELMA with its partner Military Institute of Engineer Technology. The MPB consists of a metal cylinder filled with explosives, mounted horizontally in an adjustable frame. The mine is intended to be hidden from direct view of the intended target, off to the side of a probable vehicle route, usually a road, to attack the weaker armour on the sides and rear of a vehicle. The mine can be triggered by either a contact fuze or an influence fuze based on infrared and acoustic sensors, and is also fitted with an anti-handling device. When used with the passive infrared fuze, an acoustic sensor detects approaching vehicles and activates the infrared sensor, which triggers the mine at an optimal moment as the target passes. The mine can be programmed to self-destruct after either 1, 10 or 30 days have passed.
A tilt-rod fuze is a device used to trigger anti-vehicle landmines. Typically it consists of a vertical pole, normally around a meter high, which is connected to the top of a landmine. When the track or main body of a vehicle passes over the mine, the rod is tilted, releasing a spring-loaded striker which triggers a pyrotechnic delay of approximately half a second, followed by detonation of the main explosive charge. The small time delay allows the vehicle to continue over the mine before detonating, exposing more of it to the blast. A tilt-rod fuze has a number of advantages over pressure fuzes—it acts across the entire width of a vehicle, rather than just its tracks or tires. This allows it to attack the vehicle's belly and potentially cause a catastrophic kill. Additionally, tilt rod fuzes tend to be resistant to blast overpressure clearing methods, which can trigger most pressure fuzes.
Slat armor, also known as bar armor, cage armor, and standoff armor, is a type of vehicle armor designed to protect against high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) attacks, as used by anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).
The Type 4 70 mm AT rocket launcher was a Japanese rocket launcher used during the last year of World War II. It was to be used in the Japanese mainland in case of an invasion by the Allies. It was comparable to the German Panzerschreck and the American bazooka.
The TMRP-6 is a former Yugoslavian anti tank EFP mine.
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