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Foreign military experts believe that minefields are very effective in the fight against tank and mechanized columns. As a result of research work carried out in other countries participating in the aggressive bloc, new mining systems have been created and methods have been developed for their combat use.
Thus, in the United States, the M57 trailed mine layer (Fig. 1) was adopted, designed to install heavy anti-tank mines Ml5 into the ground. With its help, a calculation of four to five people per hour can set 385 minutes. However, American military experts believe that mining with the help of this minelayer no longer meets modern requirements, mainly for two reasons:
- the large weight of expendable ammunition, the transportation of which is associated with certain difficulties;
- the difficulty of using in the conduct of highly maneuverable combat.
As a result of long-term research and development American specialists came to the conclusion that it is expedient to create new mining systems designed to lay mines on the surface of the earth - in a throw. This, in their opinion, will significantly reduce the time and effort required to set up the barrier. It is believed that such a mining system should include mines, cassettes for their storage and installation, as well as means of delivering cassettes with mines to the place of use. The latter can be a helicopter, an airplane, an artillery shell, a rocket, or a ground vehicle. According to foreign experts, such systems can be used in any type of combat and at a considerable distance from the location of their troops.
In 1967, a helicopter mining system was adopted in the United States, which had the designation XM47 in the prototype version. It is designed for the installation of XM27 and XM41E1 Gravel anti-personnel high-explosive mines, which are small fabric bags with a charge inside. explosive(lead azide). During its development, it was assumed that the mentioned mines would be suitable for installation not only from helicopters, but also from ground vehicles and even manually. This system was used during the US aggressive war in Indochina.
Currently, the US land search has received a new helicopter mining system M56 (Fig. 2). It consists of: SUU-13 / A cluster installation, XM34 anti-tank mines and a control system. For combat use, helicopters are supposed to be used. army aviation UH-1B or UH-1H, which can carry two cassette launchers with mines.
Fig 2. M56 mining system: 1 - SUU-13A cassette installation; 2 - anti-tank mines XM34; 3 - guide; 4 - fuse; 5 - expelling cartridge
Cassette installation is a container with a head fairing. Inside it are vertically arranged 40 cylindrical guides. Each of them contains two XM34 anti-tank mines. At the top of the guide is an M5 powder expelling cartridge with an electric igniter. When mining, the lower part of the cassette installation is open. The total weight of the installation with mines is 300 kg, the length of its hull is 2.3 m.
The XM34 anti-tank mine is anti-tracked, its aluminum body is made in the form of a half-cylinder (Fig. 3). The fuse is located in one of the ends. The flat part of the body on four sides has stabilizer planes hinged on springs. In flight, they open up, stabilizing the mine and reducing the speed of its fall. Thanks to the double safety device of the fuse cocking mechanism, the mine is transferred to the combat position only after the fall. Tests have shown that it works regardless of the position on the ground after the fall.
Rice. 3 XM34 anti-tank mine (on the right - fuse elements)
The mine's electromechanical fuse is powered by a small mercury battery, which is inserted into the mine at the supply point. AT wiring diagram the fuse has an element of non-disposal, which initiates the main charge of the mine when you try to move it, as well as a galvanic-type self-liquidator, which ensures the detonation of the mine after a certain period.
The control system serves to actuate the mine release mechanism during the mining process. Manages opium mining from helicopter crew members. To obtain a barrier of a small area, but maximum density, you can drop the entire supply of mines at once, and to create minefield long and normal density mines are dropped sequentially from one or both cassette installations at a certain interval. Precise observance of the required intervals is ensured by an intervalometer that automatically sends command-impulses to ignite the expelling cartridges M5 at certain intervals selected by the operator.
When installing a minefield, the helicopter is displayed in its original position at a given speed and height. As a result of the operation of the M5 expelling cartridges, the mines are fired in pairs from the guides with initial speed about 4.5 m/s. Then they separate, their stabilizers open up. After falling to the ground, the mines are automatically transferred to the combat position after a certain deceleration period and are triggered when cars run over. Non-activated mines are blown up by a self-liquidator after a certain period, which is set depending on the specific combat situation.
The SUU-13/A cassette unit used by the Air Force is designed for single use. Such installations, available in the ground forces, can be used repeatedly. To this end, each of them enters the troops equipped with mines with four additional sets of guides (also with mines and expelling cartridges). Replacement of guides is carried out by specialists.
Under the ADAM program, anti-tank and anti-personnel mines are being created in the United States, which are supposed to be installed with cannon artillery. The American press reported that the XM70 anti-tank mine had been developed. Two lithium batteries used in it as a power source ensure the combat readiness of the mine for a long time due to the fact that they start working only after the ammunition with mines is fired.
Anti-personnel mines are supposed to be equipped with power sources that are used in the delayed action fuses of aerial bombs. They include magnesium anodes, liquid ammonia in ampoules; a mixture of thiocyanate with metadinitrobenzene can be used as a cathode. The electrolyte is formed when the mine is installed, after the salt is dissolved in ammonia.
As reported in the American press, it is planned in the USA to investigate the possibility of creating missile systems, which will use missiles with cluster warheads equipped with mines for various purposes.
According to the US Army Command, the new mining systems, compared to those in service, should be more effective in combating enemy tank and mechanized units. It is also important that with their help it is possible to put up barriers not only on their own territory, but also on the terrain occupied by the enemy.
Simultaneously with the development of mining systems, American specialists are solving the problem of determining the most appropriate types of barriers that will be installed with their help. Currently, from the mines set in a throw, the following four types of minefields are provided:
- obstructive(Obstacle Minefield), designed to strengthen the defended positions when the enemy approaches. It assumes the presence of narrow passages and gaps for the movement of small units of their troops. Usually it will have a fence. The period of self-destruction of mines should be relatively short so as not to interfere with the actions of friendly troops after completing the main task.
- Covering(Retrograde Minefield), set to delay or prevent the advance of a pursuing enemy. Such a field usually does not have a fence, and mines are laid in it with a maximum self-destruction period.
- Restraining(Anvil Minefield), which has the goal of delaying the enemy in a certain area by blocking routes suitable for exiting it. The timing of the self-destruction of mines in this barrier should be determined by the timing of the capture of the area by its troops.
- Forbidding(Interdiction Minefield), which is planned to be installed on the territory occupied by the enemy in order to disorganize the activities of his rear units and make it difficult for him to use individual objects. The term of self-destruction of mines in this case should be as long as possible.
Gator system
It will include a 2000-pound SUU-51 cluster launcher equipped with anti-tank or anti-personnel mines having the same appearance. It is assumed that the mines will have an optimal aerodynamic shape, providing rotation in flight for dispersal over a large area. The cumulative charge of an anti-tank mine must ensure the defeat of an armored target. It is planned to equip the mines with a self-liquidator and an element of indestructibility. Mines of this type will also be used ground forces and naval aviation.Grasshopper system
It is based on an anti-vehicle fragmentation jumping mine. It is assumed that the main targets for Grasshopper mines will be cars and other unarmored vehicles, as well as aircraft in parking lots. A mine is a small-sized aerial bomb, which, when dropped, goes into the ground to an insignificant depth. Its fuse has a device by which the nature of the approaching target is determined and the explosive mechanism is brought into combat position. When the target approaches the mine, the fragmentation element is fired upwards and, when broken, hits it with fragments. Mines should also be used in cluster installations.Piran system
The Piran system is designed to disable armored combat vehicles that overcome water obstacles along the bottom or afloat. The mines of this system are supposed to be installed in shallow water (using the SUU-54 cassette installation). The American military press reported that mines are much more difficult to detect in shallow water than on land, and their explosion in water affects military equipment more efficient than on the surface.American experts believe that the emergence of new mining means does not preclude the use of old, "classic" ones.
The beginning of a new stage in the development of mine weapons should be considered 1973, when the first full-fledged helicopter remote mining system M56 entered service with the US Army. It included a UH-1H helicopter with two cluster bombs suspended from it. One cassette contained 80 M56 anti-tank mines.
By 1975, the United States had developed a number of remote mining systems, later combined into the FASCAM family. This family has already been an integral part of the weapons systems used in the concept of air-ground operations.
The FASCAM family includes the following remote mining systems: ADAM; gator; GEMSS (withdrawn from service); MOPMS; RAAM; VOLCANO.
According to the concept of an air-ground operation, mine weapons are assigned a very significant role in deterring an advancing enemy and inflicting serious losses on him.
At the distant approaches of the enemy, mines are met by the Gator aviation mining system (at ranges from 2500 km), then the AIR VOLCANO helicopter remote mining system comes into play.
At a distance of 24-18 km from the line of contact, minefields are set up artillery systems mining ADAM and RAAM.
Ground-based remote mining systems Ground VOLCANO and GEMSS are connected directly in the zone of combat contact. Finally, with the help of the MOPMS system, the defending units fire mines in front of the attacking enemy units.
The Gator remote mining aviation system includes CBU-H9 / B bomb cassettes, which contain BLU-91 / B anti-tank mines (72 pieces) and BLU-92 / B anti-personnel mines (22 pieces).
Delivery of cartridges with mines to the place of mining is carried out by tactical aircraft of types A-6 "Intruder", A-7 "Corsair", A-10 "Thunderbolt", AV-8B "Harrier", F-4 "Phantom", F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-18 Hornet, F-111, and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. Mining range is limited only by the radius combat action carrier aircraft.
After 2 minutes from the moment the cassette is opened, the mines become in a combat position. The time of combat operation of mines is set when preparing cassettes for suspension on an aircraft and can be 4 hours, 48 hours or 15 days (360 hours). After the time of combat work, self-destruction of mines occurs by detonation.
The minefield of the Gator system, with the expenditure of 6 cassettes (432 anti-tank and 132 anti-personnel mines), has the average size 200 x 650 meters.
Anti-tank mines BLU-91/B anti-bottom, cumulative action, with a magnetic target sensor. Anti-personnel mines BLU-92/B fragmentation, tension action.
The VOLCANO remote mining system exists in two versions: 1) Air VOLCANO (air) and 2) Ground VOLCANO (ground). That is, it can be installed, firstly, on a UH-60A Blackhawk helicopter and, secondly, on any 5-ton truck, M548 tracked transporter, heavy multipurpose tactical truck (HEMTT), on a container ship (PLS ).
Cassette system "Gator" and mines BLU-92/B (left), BLU-91/B
Components of the remote mining system "Air VOLCANO"
This system uses modified mines of the Gator system, which in this case referred to as VOLCANO (both anti-tank and anti-personnel). They are placed in mine cassettes M87 and M87A1. The M87 cassette is equipped with five anti-tank mines and one anti-personnel mine. The M87A1 cassette is equipped with six anti-tank mines, but there are no anti-personnel mines in it.
The Air VOLCANO system (UH-60 helicopter with 4 modules suspended along the sides), moving at a speed of 37 to 220 km / h, at an altitude of about 1.5–2 meters, throws mines to the left and right of the flight axis at a distance of 37 -70 meters. In this case, a two-lane minefield 140 meters wide is formed (the width of one lane is 33 meters, the gap between the lanes is 74 meters). With one ammunition load, a helicopter can lay out a minefield with an average size of 557 x 320 meters. The laying out of ammunition at a speed of 220 km / h takes only 17 seconds.
The “Ground VOLCANO” system (M548 car with 4 modules placed in the back), moving at a speed of 9 to 100 km / h, throws (shoots) mines from cassettes at a distance of 25–60 meters from the car, forming on the left and right (two cassettes shoot to the right, and two to the left) two lanes of mines, each 35 meters wide.
Remote mining system "Ground VOLCANO"
Remote mining system "RAAM"
The free gap between the lanes is 50 meters. One ammunition loader allows you to set a minefield 1108 long and 120 meters wide.
In both versions of the system, the mines are transferred to a combat position 2 minutes 30 seconds after firing from the cassette, the combat time of the mines is set before the start of mining and can be 4 hours, 48 hours, 360 hours (15 days).
Remote Mining System RAAM (previously also called ADATM).
It is a 155-mm M718 howitzer projectile, which contains 9 anti-tank cumulative mines of the M70 or M73 type. The mines are identical in design and differ only in the period of combat work (M70 - 4 hours, M73 - 48 hours).
Mines are ejected from the projectile on the descending part of its trajectory (by detonating the expelling charge) and disperse on the ground, with a distance of up to 600 meters from the aiming point. Depending on the required density of the minefield, from 6 to 96 shells are fired at this place. This creates a so-called minefield module around the aiming point.
Depending on the steepness of the trajectory of the projectile, the density of the minefield obtained and the consumption of the projectiles, the size of the minefield can be 200 x 200 meters or 400 x 400 meters. The greatest distance of the exposed minefield from the positions of artillery pieces is determined by the range of howitzers and is 17.5 km for the M109 howitzer and 17.74 km for the M198 howitzer. Anti-tank mines M70 and M73 anti-bottom, cumulative action.
The ADAM remote mining system differs from RAAM in that 36 M67 or M72 anti-personnel mines are embedded in the same 155-mm M692 projectile. The mines are identical in design, have a segmented appearance and differ only in the period of combat work (M67 - 4 hours, M72 - 48 hours).
The MOPMS portable remote mining system is an abbreviation of the name of the M131 system “Modular Pack Mine System”, which means “Modular Container Mining System”. It is a portable container in which 7 cassettes with mines are placed. Each cassette contains 3 mines (a total of 21 mines in a container: 17 M78 anti-tank mines and 4 M77 anti-personnel mines.
The cassettes in the container are placed in such a way that when an electrical impulse is received from the control panel, the mines are scattered on the ground, forming a semicircle with a radius of 35 meters. This zone is considered a MOPMS minefield weapon station (21 mines).
Mines can be placed using a block remote control(RCU) M71 or electronic insertion device. Once mines are placed, they cannot be recovered or reused. If the mines are not set, then the container can be disarmed and restored for later use.
The RCU can switch the 4-hour combat time min three times, for a total working time of about 13 hours.
Mines with a 4-hour combat time will begin to self-destruct after a period of 3 hours and 12 minutes. All active mines must self-destruct within 3 hours of initial launch or last switchover. This feature allows you to keep the minefield in a combat position from 4 to 13 hours. The RCU can also clear mines on command, allowing the unit to counterattack or withdraw through the minefield as needed without waiting for a predetermined self-destruct time.
Modular container mining system M131
One RCU controls up to 15 MOPMS containers (or groups of containers) at a distance of 300 to 1000 meters, via separate pulse-coded frequencies. Coded frequencies exclude any radio interference directed against the system.
American anti-personnel mine M67 / 72 for a remote mining system
Army number European countries in the same years, they developed and introduced into the troops their own systems, first of mechanized installation of mines, and then of remote mining systems.
IN THE USSR for a long time it was believed that the advantage in mine weapons, achieved in the first half of the 1960s, fully provides the troops. To the GMZ caterpillar minelayer, its trailed counterpart PMZ-4 and the VMP-2 helicopter mining system were added.
However, these systems were devices adapted for the mechanized laying of conventional anti-tank mines TM-57 and TM-62, and no longer met the requirements of the time.
The development of remote mining systems in the USSR was very late, and the desire to catch up with the United States led to copying the first, not the most successful American systems and mines.
This is the PFM-1 mine, an exact copy of the “Dragon Tooth” mine, which was very soon taken out of service in the United States; and the POM-1 mine, strikingly reminiscent of the American HLU-42 / B, anti-tank mines PTM-1 and PTM-3, copies of samples never adopted by the United States; this is a PKM kit, an analogue of the first version of the American MOPMS manual mining system; minelayer UMP is a variant of the "Ground VOLCANO" system.
Soviet mines (top to bottom) PFM-1, PTM-1, PTM-3 for remote mining systems
And in other Soviet remote mining systems (Hurricane, VSM-1, KMG-U), the influence of American models is clearly noticeable.
The first Soviet self-developed anti-personnel mine for remote mining was the POM-2 mine.
Since the mid-1980s, not only was it clearly marked, but the obvious lag of Soviet mine weapons in comparison with Western systems began to intensify. At the same time, it manifested itself in the most significant way not even in samples of mines and mining systems, but in the fact that the concept of using mines in unity with other means of combat (battle) was not developed in the USSR. On the contrary, in the United States and other NATO countries, mine weapons have become an integral element of tactics, the art of conducting operations, therefore, they are developing in a comprehensive and purposeful manner.
As military spending decreased in the USSR and Russia, the development of mine weapons slowed down sharply, and then stopped altogether. The last Soviet anti-tank mine put into service was the anti-bottom cumulative mine with a TM-89 magnetic fuse. There are also some interesting developments Russian designers, for example, anti-helicopter mine PVM.
31.01.2012
Modern means of mining in the service of the armies of the world
It is known that without a good knowledge of military engineering it is impossible to achieve success in combined arms combat. An important component of military engineering is demolition work, which includes various systems and means of mining, as well as explosive barriers.
According to experts, mine weapons can be used not only in defense, but also in the offensive, since modern facilities mining involves their rapid installation, which allows you to arrange minefields directly during the battle.
Portable mining kit "Wind-M", PKM-1 has been known since Soviet army. It is the simplest combined arms tool with which you can remotely install anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. The peculiarity of the kit is that it can be installed not only in advance, but also directly during the battle, which significantly increases the capabilities of tactical defense of troops.
The kit includes a primitive launcher for the PM-4 demolition machine, two cable reels of 50 meters each, and a carrying bag. The whole set weighs about 2.5 kilograms. The machine is made in the form of a small metal sheet, to which a pallet with an electrical contact is attached at an angle of 45 degrees. Cassettes with anti-personnel or anti-tank mines are placed on the machine, and then used to fire these cassettes.
The machine works extremely simply - when cassettes are attached to the machine, contacts are closed between them. Then the demolition machine delivers an electric impulse, the expelling powder charge in the cassette ignites. This makes it possible to throw a mine at about 30-35 meters. Regardless of the type of mines, the dimensions of the cassette remain the same, only the markings on them change. So, there are KSF-1 cassettes with 72 PFM-1 anti-personnel mines, KSF-1S-0.5 cassettes with 36 PFM-1 anti-personnel mines and the same number of PFM-1S, KSF-1S cassettes with 64 PFM-1S anti-personnel mines, KSO cassettes -1 with 8 POM-1 anti-personnel mines, KPOM-2 cassettes with 4 POM-2 anti-personnel mines, as well as KPTM-3 cassettes with 1 PTM-3 anti-tank mine and KPTM-1 cassettes with 3 PTM-1 anti-tank mines.
The mines thrown from the cassettes are scattered and form an ellipse of dispersion. Its dimensions are about 8-10 meters wide and 18-20 meters long. The probability of defeat, depending on the type of mine, ranges from 0.5 to 7 meters. Anti-tank mines are thrown about 100 meters.
It is possible to install single and multi-lane minefields.
This system of remote mining is valuable for its simplicity, the possibility of mining without leaving the trench, setting minefields suddenly for a possible enemy and undermining at the right time.
Another mine device, which came from Soviet times, is the universal minelayer UMP. This is one of the remote mining systems designed to install anti-personnel, anti-tank and mixed minefields. In this case, mines can only be installed on the surface of the soil.
The minelayer is mounted on the chassis of a Zil-131V onboard vehicle. Cassette blocks in the amount of 6 units are installed in the body on a rotary device, and the emission control system is in the cab.
Cassette units are independent of each other and can rotate 360 degrees at different angles.
Depending on the mining scheme, the rotation of the cassettes and the angle of their inclination are selected. All this is done manually before mining.
Each block can hold up to 30 cassettes. And the complete set of the minelayer is 80 cassettes. Based on the foregoing, the minelayer can simultaneously be loaded with 180 PTM-3 anti-tank mines, 540 PTM-1 anti-tank mines, about 12 thousand PFM-1 anti-personnel mines, 1440 POM-1 anti-personnel mines and 720 POM-2 anti-personnel mines.
Mixed charging of cassette blocks can also be used. Then, in one run, the minelayer can carry anti-personnel and anti-tank mines or mines of the same type, but of different options. You can set the field in several visits, as well as replenish ammunition at any time you need.
In the process of mining, the minelayer can reach speeds from 5 to 40 kilometers per hour. 2 people can reload in about 1.5-2.5 hours, and a sapper squad of 6 people in 1 hour.
This minelayer looks no different from the usual ZIL, so the enemy will not be able to identify it. The crew of the car will include two people - the driver and the operator.
A more modern means of mining is the VSM-1 helicopter mining system. It is used to install anti-tank, anti-personnel and anti-amphibious minefields using Mi-8MT and Mi-8T helicopters. Most often, this system is used to quickly install minefields in places where the enemy breaks through, as well as in areas of his advancement deep into the protected area. VSM-1 is produced by the Kazan Helicopter Production Association, and the system was developed at the Balashikha State Research Engineering Institute.
In addition to the mining control panel, the system includes 4 containers for mines, a trolley for transportation, a remote control and a container lifting system. Each container provides space for 29 KSO-1 cassettes.
The device of the minefield is carried out during the flight over the terrain that needs to be mined.
This system is most effective for mining mountainous areas. It was used in Afghanistan as a preventive measure against the Mujahideen. The spreading speed of mines is about 8.5 thousand mines per minute in an area about 25 meters wide and 2 kilometers long.
Another effective mine tool is the KMGU universal small-sized cargo container, which is designed to transport and drop front-line container blocks with fragmentation, high-explosive, cumulative and incendiary ammunition. Cassettes, after being dropped, are opened, thus ensuring the movement of ammunition along the trajectory of hitting targets. Externally, the container looks like an aluminum power case with a streamlined shape and two compartments for placing cassette blocks. In the lower part of the body there are flaps that operate from a pneumatic actuator. It, in turn, is powered by a compressed air cylinder. The carriers of the container are the Mi-28N helicopter and Su-17, Su-27, Su-24, MiG-29 and MiG-27 aircraft.
The remote mining tool for the Smerch rocket launcher with a 9M55K4 rocket is a mining tool designed to create minefields using anti-tank mines PTM-3. Mines are placed in cassette blocks of five mines on each of the five tiers.
The head of the projectile is separated, and the mines are pushed out with the help of a squib. At the same time, they are transferred to combat readiness, and after 90-100 seconds the mines touch the ground surface. The dispersion ellipse depends on the trajectory and range of the AI and is approximately 2 by 2 kilometers.
In order to obtain such a minefield, 12 charges are needed, that is, one full salvo of the Tornado. The projectiles are scattered about 150 meters as a result of constant adjustment of their movement with the help of gas-dynamic rudders, as well as rotation around their axis.
Mines are on alert for a day, after which self-destruction occurs. If the mines are out of order or not in a state of combat readiness due to an incorrect position, they also self-destruct within a day. And if they are in close proximity to cars or tanks on metal structures, then the explosion occurs instantly.
The safest distance for people after the self-destruction of mines has begun is about 300 meters from the last mine. Also, mines of the PTM-3 type can be destroyed using EMT trawls.
The 9M55K4 rocket projectile is used in the Smerch 9K58 multiple launch rocket system, which was put into service even Soviet troops in 1987. Currently, other types of projectiles are used for this installation.
The projectile itself is modular and differs only in warheads: high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative fragmentation, volumetric detonating, incendiary, and also with the use of homing anti-tank warheads.
The Smerch system is capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. The launcher includes 12 tube guides. A full salvo is carried out in 20 seconds, the range of destruction is from 20 to 70 kilometers. The reloading of the installation is carried out by the 9T234-2 transport-loading machine in 10-15 minutes.
The complete set of the Smerch installation includes the 9A52-2 launcher, the 9T234-2 transport-loading vehicle and the KAMAZ-4310 vehicle with the Vivarium fire control system, which is used for six installations.
Experts are confident that modern mining tools have become more effective due to the use of electronic fuses and the ability to program mines for self-destruction after a certain time, increasing mechanical strength due to the use of durable materials that make it possible to drop them from a great height without damage, an increase in the number of remote mining systems used not only by military engineers, but also by other branches of the military.
NATO Remote Mining Systems
The command of the armies of the North Atlantic Alliance, which for a long time considered mines as a passive means of introducing hostilities, re-evaluated their increased potential. Every day, the term "mine land warfare" is gaining more and more popularity.
Minelayers, which are in service with NATO troops, are designed to install anti-tank mines. They are divided into two groups: self-propelled and trailed. Most of them are trailed barriers. The distance between the mines can be adjusted, so you can increase or decrease the density of the minefield. Most of the mines are anti-tank anti-bottom mines that hit the armored target in all areas. Anti-track mines are also used to make it difficult for the enemy to overcome the installed minefield.
The FFV 5821 minelayer is located in the MiWS ground mining system. This is a towing device, for towing which a regular car with 720 mines is used. At a speed of 7 kilometers per hour, the minelayer can set up to 20 minutes per minute. The device was developed by a Swedish company. Its deliveries began in 1989 to Germany, and later to the Netherlands.
The trailed minelayer used by the British troops is a standard device used by the engineering troops to install L9A1 anti-track anti-tank mines. Currently, this type of mine is equipped with a new fuse that works under the entire target area. To tow it, the Troudzhen FV 432 tracked armored personnel carrier with 144 mines is used. To install mines on the ground surface, the FV 602 Stolvet is also used, which can carry up to 500 mines.
The Spanish trailed minelayer ST-AT/V is used to install anti-tank, anti-bottom and anti-track mines. For towing, an armored personnel carrier with 200 mines is used. The minelayer works at a speed of 4 kilometers per hour.
The French minelayer F1 has a wheelbase. Its main feature is that when installing mines, it opens an individual hole for each of them, while not damaging the vegetation layer. The hydromechanical body raises the turf, and after the device of the mine lowers it back and levels the surface with a roller. The minelayer is designed to install mines of the same size, for example, such as anti-track ASRM.
In the cargo compartment of the installation there are cassettes of 112 minutes each in the amount of 4 units. With the installation of each mine, the machine stops, and all actions are automated. The speed of mining is about 400 minutes per hour.
Remote mining systems are new tools that make it possible to lay minefields in the shortest possible time at a distance of several meters to hundreds of kilometers. Mines descend into the structure of systems various types- anti-tank, anti-personnel, anti-vehicle, means for their installation and the carrier itself, which can be used as ground vehicles, artillery shells or missiles, as well as aircraft and helicopters.
Ground-based mining systems are machines that, on the move, are capable of shooting or throwing mines at a distance of 30-100 meters, thus forming a mine strip of several tens of meters. Mines that have fallen to the surface are brought into a combat position and are triggered either in the process of impacting the target, or when trying to move them, or in the process of self-destruction. Systems of this type include the American mining systems GEMSS, Vulcan, the German MiWS, the Italian Istrich, and the British Ranger.
Artillery systems are mining devices that use regular artillery pieces to fire mine-laden cluster charges. After falling to the surface, they are brought into a combat position and are triggered during the impact of the armored target or after the expiration date. These include the US RAAMS and ADAM systems.
Rocket mining systems use regular MLRS to build minefields. Despite the fact that many states are engaged in such developments, they are in service only in Germany. They use the Lars-2 systems - this is a 36-barrel launcher. The warhead cassette opens at a given point, and the mines are parachuted down under the action of the air flow. After landing, the parachute is detached and the mine is put on alert.
According to NATO experts, helicopter systems should be used to set up barriers on enemy routes pursuing retreating troops, to cover the flanks, and also to reinforce barriers already in place. The disadvantage of such systems is that helicopters operate at extremely low altitudes, which greatly increases their vulnerability. Most often, two main types of such systems are used - universal, which are mounted on board machines, as well as those installations that are transported on the external sling of a helicopter. Among helicopter systems, one can note American system"Volcano", Italian DATS, SY-AT, which is used in Spain and Portugal.
Number of impressions: 1872
See also Spetsnaz.org:
Colonel S. Perov
Aircraft mining systems are considered one of the promising types of weapons of the air force. For the first time in combat conditions, they were used by the Air Force and the US Navy during the aggression in Vietnam, having received a positive assessment of military experts. These tools are being developed by virtually all the leading countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, and in the course of creating new systems, the experience of the Americans, the shortcomings of their first samples, especially mines designed for remote installation, are taken into account.
Such an active development of aviation mining systems is due to the following main reasons:
The adoption in the armies of the NATO member countries of the concept of "air-ground operation (battle)" and the concept of "fighting the second echelons (reserves)", which provide for delivering powerful surprise strikes against the enemy, performing quick maneuvers, regrouping and influencing the entire depth of battle formations and operational formation (up to 200-300 km) of the enemy, which will require the installation of minefields in the shortest possible time, primarily anti-tank ones, to cover their flanks, as well as delaying the movement of highly mobile enemy units leading an offensive, maneuvering or retreating;
Significant successes in such branches of the military industry as electronics and chemistry, the creation and implementation of new materials and technologies, which made it possible to develop fundamentally new engineering ammunition - mines, characterized by high mechanical strength, efficiency at small weight and size indicators;
Development of universal bomb cassettes adapted for transporting and dropping (shooting) small-sized aviation munitions for various purposes, including anti-tank, anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mines.
As a result of the work carried out, to date, aviation mining systems are in service with the US Air Force, Germany, and Great Britain. This new tool is also available to units of the ground forces of the United States, Italy and Spain, which have helicopter mining systems. In the coming years, as foreign military experts believe, we should expect a further expansion of the scale and geography of the use of aviation mining systems through the development in other countries of their own means or their purchase abroad. They believe that aviation mining systems will find application in the installation of barriers in the course of solving the following main tasks:
Detaining the advancing enemy by laying mines directly in front of his battle formations or directly on them, which will slow down the advance of the enemy, thereby creating favorable conditions for hitting him with artillery and aircraft, or will force him to look for detours;
Preventing the introduction of the second echelons and reserves of the enemy into battle by laying mines on the routes of his movement and areas of concentration;
Forbidding the enemy to use important areas and sections of the terrain, for which it is planned to carry out low-density mining of places where the concentration of his forces is most likely, deployment command posts, communication centers, rear facilities;
Mining enemy airfields to disrupt the normal operation of his aviation, which is considered as an element of the task of gaining air supremacy.
As emphasized in the Western press, it is advisable to carry out mining by aviation simultaneously with strikes against ground targets by other types of aviation weapons, which should make it difficult for the enemy to quickly exit the affected area and complicate restoration work. According to military experts, mining from the air will be especially effective when attacking tank and mechanized columns and airfields. For this purpose, it is planned to use aircraft carrying cluster weapons of various equipment, or combined equipment of universal cartridges.
In the United States, the Air Force is armed with aircraft mining system CBU-89 / B "Gator", including the SUU-64/B multi-purpose aviation bomb cassette, which is discharged in flight, equipped with 72 anti-tank (BLU-91/B) and 22 anti-personnel (BLU-92/B) mines. The cassette set includes a FZU-39 / B head fuse and a K.MU-466 / B programmer, through which the opening time of the cassette, the electrical supply of the mines, as well as the period of their self-destruction after falling to the ground and cocking are set.
Anti-tank mine BLU-91 / B (see table) - anti-bottom, having a directional charge capable of penetrating 70-mm armor at a distance of half a meter, and a non-contact magnetic fuse that is triggered at the moment an armored target passes over a cocked mine. anti-personnel mine BLU-92/B fragmentation, with contact electronic fuse. When falling to the ground, four thin nylon threads 12 m long are scattered to the sides from its body, even a light touch of one of which causes an explosion and damage to manpower by fragments within a radius of up to 12 m. The total mass of the SUU-64 / B cassette related to ammunition caliber 1000 pounds, 320 kg, its length is 2430 mm, diameter is 390 mm. The dimensions of the mined area with one cassette depend on the height of its deployment, on average they are 200 X 300 m. Regular US Air Force aircraft are capable of carrying the following number of cassettes: F-4 - 22, F-15E - 19, F-111 - 16, A- 10 - 16, A-7 - 32, F-16X1 - 10, B-52 (on external slings) - 24. The foreign military press reported that mining can be carried out from altitudes from 60 to 12000 m at flight speeds of 370-1300 km/h in level flight, dive (up to 60°) and pitch up (up to 30°). Cassette ejection intervals (12 in total) are set automatically in the range from 0.63 to 4.1 s.
The dropped cassette at a given height, at the command of the head fuse, is opened with the help of elongated shaped charges, the released mines, dispersed by the oncoming air flow, fall to the ground and, after working out the cocking delay mechanism, are transferred to the firing position.
The US Navy aviation is armed with another version of the Gator mining system - CBU-78 / B, made on the basis of the SUU-58 / B cluster installation. It is equipped with 45 BLU-91/B anti-tank mines and 15 BLU-92/B anti-personnel mines. This means is used mainly for laying minefields in the course of amphibious assault operations, when it becomes necessary to prevent or delay the approach of the enemy's second echelons or reserves to the bridgehead, to cover the flanks of an assault landing on the coast, or to restrain the rapid withdrawal of enemy units and subunits defending the coast. Carriers of mining systems "Gator" in naval forces there can be both carrier-based aircraft and machines operating from the coast. Smaller caliber cassettes used by aviation
The Navy allows you to take more of them in one sortie than in the Air Force.
The arrival of the Gator mining system to the troops began in 1986. In total (taking into account the requirements of the Navy), the industry planned to receive an order for the production of over 10 thousand of its sets. Simultaneously with equipping the Air Force and the Naval Aviation with the existing means of remote mining, work is underway in the United States to create more advanced mining means. To date, American military experts consider the following to be the most promising of them.
Aircraft Mining System CBU-92/B. It will have to be used by tactical aircraft. It includes the above-mentioned SUU-64/B universal cassette launcher, equipped with nine BLU-101/B ERAM anti-tank anti-roof mines. The cassette installation is equipped with a remote fuse FZU-39 / B, which allows dropping cassettes from high altitudes.
The BLU-101/B mine is an automatic munition, which is a miniature launcher with two Skit-type submunitions and four supports that recline when the mine is installed. Top part The PU is fully revolving, equipped with a seismoacoustic sensor with three retractable antennas. The system is put into action as follows. The dropped cassette is opened at a given height with the help of a remote fuse, the released mines are separated by an oncoming air flow, and each of them descends on a parachute, which automatically disconnects when the ammunition lands. When a mine hits the ground, the stabilization mechanism is activated, and it takes the required position on the support.
After working out the cocking deceleration mechanism, seismic sensors are put into operation. The detected moving target is recognized by the microprocessor, then its course and range are determined, after which the aiming occurs launcher on target. At the required moment, the combat element is fired towards the target, which, stabilizing on the trajectory by rotation, scans the area under it. Target detection is carried out by means of the IR sensor available to the combat element, and the defeat is carried out by a shock core acting against the most poorly protected part of the combat armored vehicle- roofs (Fig. 3).
| The defeat of the combat element of the target tank during testing |
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| DAACM cluster bomb |
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| ISCB cluster bomb components with instrumentation and programming hardware |
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| Mining with the help of the aircraft "Tornado". Below are the MW-1 "Shtrobo" cassette and mines: anti-tank MIFF (left) and anti-vehicle MUSPA |
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| MUSPA mine application scheme: 1 - shooting from a cassette; 2 - parachute opening; 3 - decrease; 4 - landing and stabilization; 5 - cocking; 6 - actuation |
Mining with such a system, according to American experts, can be carried out from various heights - from 60 to 12,000 m at speeds from minimum to supersonic. Considerations were expressed that it would be expedient to use such a means primarily for setting up barriers along lines of communication where the movement of enemy tank and mechanized units is expected. It is also considered possible to lay such mines simultaneously with strikes against enemy airfields with concrete-piercing ammunition, which should make it difficult for him to use mechanical means to quickly restore runways and taxiways.
According to the plans of the Air Force command, testing new system mining should be completed in 1992.
DAACM cluster bomb designed to strike at enemy airfields. It is the same SUU-64 / B cluster mount, equipped with eight CBU-106 / B concrete-piercing bombs and 24 British-designed HB876 anti-vehicle mines. Bombs are used to destroy the runways of enemy airfields, and mines (their description is given below) are used to disable engineering and transport vehicles used in the repair of the destroyed runway. The cassette installation can be equipped with a remote or temporary head fuse, which gives a command at a given moment to open the installation case. The mines used in this munition have undergone modernization, as a result of which the principle of firing them from a cassette installation has been changed: in this case, the mines are not fired down, as in the English model, but are scattered in the radial direction with the help of pneumatic cylinders filled with gas at the moment the cassette is opened.
The DAACM cluster bomb program began in 1984, and in 1987 began its full-scale development, which is scheduled for completion in 1992. The Air Force planned to purchase more than 20 thousand ammunition of this type. However, recent studies conducted by US Department of Defense specialists have shown that the new tool will not be effective enough, since by now about half of the airfields of the Warsaw Pact countries have runway coverage from individual reinforced concrete slabs, and it is much easier to repair them by quickly replacing damaged elements than Runway made of monolithic concrete. In this regard, Western experts proposed the need to improve the concrete-piercing elements of the bomb.
ISCB-type cluster bombs developed by the American company ISC on its own initiative and sold to the armies of 17 countries. There are five variants of ammunition, made in a single standard US Air Force Mk20 Rokay cluster mount and differing in the type of equipment. So, in ISCB-1, small-caliber bombs are used as equipment, called mines by the developer, which have a delayed action fuse with different triggering times (maximum 24 hours) and are programmed before departure. In total, the cassette installation contains 160 combat mines, as well as 65 inert mines that do not look different from combat mines. According to the developers, the presence of inert ammunition in the installed barrier should make it difficult for the enemy to carry out mine clearance. The area mined by one cassette, depending on the mode of flight of the carrier, can be 2230-4650 m2. Another variant of the equipment - ISCB-5 will contain 48 anti-tank mines that are in development.
American military experts consider it expedient to use cluster bombs with an engine, as well as cruise missiles air base. In their opinion, these means will make it possible to install barriers on the territory, reliably covered by enemy air defense, without aircraft entering the zone of its destruction.
As an example, they cite the AGM-130B guided bomb, the warhead of which is a 2000 lb cluster bomb launcher, equipped with 15 BLU-106 / B concrete-piercing bombs and 75 modernized British HB876 anti-vehicle mines. It was assumed that such ammunition could be equipped with a solid-fuel engine and a homing head. The tension of the military budget did not allow the Americans to complete the development of this tool, and in 1988 it was suspended.
German Air Force are armed with an aviation mining system based on the MW-1 "Shtrobo" multi-purpose cluster mount, which is designed to be equipped with small-caliber ammunition for various purposes, including mines. The latter can be used not only independently, but also in conjunction with other ammunition.
Cassette installation MW-1 "Shtrobo" (Fig. 6) consists of four sections - bow, two middle and tail. Each is a package of tubular guides, located horizontally, in which there are ammunition and squibs for shooting them. The power of the squibs is different, due to which the range of shooting ammunition from both sides of the cassette is not the same (maximum - 250 m).
Adopted in 1983, the system contains mines of two types - anti-tank and anti-vehicle. The MIFF anti-tank mine is an anti-bottom mine. It has a directional charge with two hemispherical recesses directed in opposite directions, and an electronic proximity fuse with a magnetic sensor located in the middle part of the mine. The fuse has two stages of protection - mechanical, with a plunger that extends from the mine body after it is fired from the guide, and electronic, by means of which the mine, after falling to the ground, is transferred to the firing position. The composition of the fuse includes an electric capacitor, which is charged when the mine is in the cassette installation at the command of the onboard computer. On the side wall of the cylindrical body of the mine, springy paws are arranged, tightly pressed against the body when it is in the guide. When a mine hits the ground, the paws open, as a result of which the ammunition takes a horizontal position, that is, one of the hemispherical notches of the charge will be turned up. The mine will be triggered when an armored vehicle passes over it. In the absence of a target, the mine will self-destruct after a specified period. The ammunition in the combat position will work when you try to remove it from the installation site.
MUSPA anti-vehicle mine fragmentation, capable of hitting unarmored targets at ranges of several tens of meters. It has a non-contact electronic fuse with an acoustic sensor and the same electric capacitor as the previous sample. The MUSPA is also equipped with two stages of protection that actuate in series and springy lugs for stabilization on the ground. This mine is designed to be triggered by moving targets of a certain type, primarily taxiing, taking off or landing aircraft (Fig. 7) and helicopters (while they are on the ground). After a predetermined period, the cocked mine self-destructs. The term of self-destruction of mines of one refueling is different, which, according to the developers, should make it difficult for the enemy to clear mines.
The weight of the equipped MW-1 "Shtrobo" cluster mount reaches 4600 kg, its dimensions are 5900x1200x840 mm, 112 132 mm caliber guides can contain 784 anti-tank mines or up to 668 anti-vehicle mines. The main carrier of the installation is the Tornado aircraft. Mining is carried out, as a rule, from extremely low altitudes at a flight speed of up to 1100 km / h. Under these conditions, the mined area is 2500x500 m.
It is believed that it is most expedient to carry out mining simultaneously with striking the enemy with other types of aviation weapons using this cluster installation, for which it is supposed to be equipped with various types of ammunition. At present, two types of equipment are among the main Western experts: anti-tank and anti-aerodrome.
Anti-tank is designed to strike at enemy tank and mechanized units moving in marching or combat formations. It includes KV44 anti-tank cumulative bombs and MIFF anti-tank mines: the former serve to directly hit targets, the latter make it difficult for them to maneuver, leave the affected area and create favorable conditions for hitting the enemy with other types of weapons.
The anti-aerodrome version is used to strike at enemy airfields and air bases. It consists of STABO concrete bombs, MUSA fragmentation bombs (a simplified version of the MUSPA ammunition with an instantaneous fuse) and MUSPA anti-vehicle mines. STABOs are designed to destroy the runway of the airfield, fragmentation bombs hit manpower and disable unarmored enemy vehicles, and the installed mines make it difficult to carry out restoration work and aviation operations.
By 1990, it was planned to purchase about 500 MW-1 Strobo cluster launchers for the German Air Force with a set of various ammunition (primarily taking into account the above two equipment options), and by 1997 - another 650 sets. At the same time, German military specialists launched work on the creation of a number of other munitions of a fundamentally new class for this cluster installation, among which the main place is given to automatic ones (homing bombs and mines). The latter, in particular, include the Lasso anti-tank anti-aircraft mine, which is also supposed to be placed by other means of mechanization and manually. This homing munition, after falling to the ground, stabilizes and takes up a combat position. After the target is detected and recognized, a directional charge is induced on it; the mine will be triggered when the target is in range (within a radius of 50 m).
The RAF is armed with an aviation mining system based on the JP233 cluster mount, which is equipped with small-caliber concrete-piercing bombs and HB876 anti-vehicle mines. The cassette installation consists of two sections - the head section containing 215 mines, and the tail section with 30 bombs. The main purpose of the system is to strike at enemy airfields with their simultaneous mining. The design provides for the separate use of sections of the cassette installation, depending on the carrier aircraft used and the task being performed. So, it is possible to use both sections connected into one whole (the Tornado aircraft can carry two such cassettes under the fuselage, Fig. 8, F-111 - two sections on the underwing pylon, F-16 and Jaguar aircraft - one section each under the roof).
Both types of ammunition are in the guides (for mines there are 90 of them). They are located at an angle of 15-35° to the longitudinal axis of the cassette and contain one to three mines and a squib for their shooting. The HB876 mine is combined, has a directional charge with a hemispherical notch facing upwards, and a thick-walled body with many small hemispherical notches on its outer side surface. When a mine explodes from this body, a flat beam of about 100 shock nuclei is formed, flying in a radial direction and hitting unarmored targets and manpower within a radius of several tens of meters. The impact core directed upwards disables equipment (including armored) that will be used by the enemy to restore damage after the explosion of concrete-piercing bombs.
Mina HB876 equipped with an electronic fuse that triggers the cocked ammunition when its position changes. An unexploited mine self-destructs, and the programmed terms for self-destruction of one refueling are different, which should make it difficult for the enemy to neutralize them. The mine is equipped with a cruciform parachute, which reduces the force of its impact on the ground, and springy legs to stabilize it at the place of its fall. The total mass of the equipped JP233 cassette is 2355 kg, and its head (mine) section is 1085 kg, the dimensions are 6550x1140x600 and 2470x1140x560 mm, respectively. The first batch of JP233 cluster weapons was ordered by the RAF in 1982.
According to British military experts, the HB876 mine is the most effective, which contributed to the expansion of the scale of its use - this ammunition is supposed to be used in the HADES aviation mining system being tested. It is designed to accommodate 49 of these mines in a slightly modernized BL755 cluster bomb. The bomb has a temporary fuse, at the command of which the thin-walled body of the dropped ammunition is destroyed and the released mines are lowered by parachutes (after landing, the parachute is automatically disconnected). In the event of an explosion with fragments of a mine, a steel sheet breaks through at a distance of 20 m, and aluminum - 50 m. The mines of one bomb dropped from an extremely low height block a section of terrain measuring 85x35 m.
As many Western NATO military experts note, a significant drawback of all the above aviation mining systems is the need for the carrier aircraft to be located above the area to be mined, where it can be hit by enemy air defense systems (especially in the case of installation of obstacles directly on battle formations the enemy, areas of his concentration or important stationary objects covered by anti-aircraft weapons). Therefore, in last years in the leading countries of the bloc, emphasis was placed on the development of dropped planning cluster bombs and bombs with their own engine. Such weapon systems are capable of reaching targets at ranges of tens and hundreds of kilometers from the place where they were dropped from the carrier aircraft, which allows the latter not to enter the enemy's air defense zone. In a number of cases, these means will have homing devices, which will ensure greater accuracy in reaching a given mining area (target). In this case, it is supposed to have a set of small-caliber ammunition for various purposes, which must certainly include mines, primarily anti-tank and anti-vehicle. Some of them will be samples developed earlier and already in service, and some will be created in the coming years. Characteristic for the latter, as emphasized in the foreign military press, should be the automation of actions to detect, recognize and aim at moving armored targets, as well as their defeat at considerable distances in the most vulnerable part - the roof or side.
NATO countries are joining forces to create this type of weapon to speed up and reduce the cost of R&D. The work is carried out within the framework of uniform tactical and technical requirements. These include, in particular, developments under the MSOW project, in which the USA, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain take part (for the air forces of these countries, about 30,000 such funds are required). It is supposed to have three variants of cluster equipment for such weapons: for strikes against airfields and airfield facilities from a range of 30-50 km, against mobile group armored targets (15-30 km) and important rear targets (185-600 km).
AT Great Britain the SWAARM planning cluster bomb is also being created, equipped with anti-tank homing munitions and mines. The Federal Republic of Germany, together with France, has long been dealing with the problem of Apache/CWS cluster glide bombs (with and without an engine), which are used to deliver new ammunition, including Lasso anti-tank mines and others. The Italian Air Force is showing interest in the Skyshark cluster bomb being developed by the country's military industry, equipped along with small-caliber anti-tank bombs and mines. The unpowered variant of the bomb (which is built first) will have a gliding range of 6-12 km. The carrier of this weapon (weight 745 kg) will be the Tornado or AMX aircraft.
| The main characteristics of mines of aviation mining systems | |||||
| Name (Manufacturer country) |
Weight, kg: total / BB | Dimensions, mm: | Fuse type |
Efficiency actions |
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| anti-tank | |||||
| BLU-91/B (USA) | 1,7/0,6 | (145x145) | 60 | Electronic non-contact | Penetrates 70mm armor |
| BLU-101/B (USA) | 30/- | 400 | 200 | Same | Damage radius 150 m |
| MIFF (Germany) | 3,4/0,9 | 132 | 80 | Same | Penetrates 70 mm armor strikes within a radius of 50 m |
| Anti-vehicle | |||||
| MUSPA (Germany) | 4,5/- | 132 | 115 | Same | Penetrates steel sheet at 20 m, aluminum sheet at 50 m |
| HB876 (UK) | 265/0,8 | 100 | 150 | Electronic contact | - |
| anti-personnel | |||||
| BLU-92/B (USA) | 1,7 | (145x145) | 60 | Same | Strikes in a radius of 12 m |
foreign military review No. 1 1990 S.
