PMN mine

The PMN-1 and PMN-2 (sometimes referred to as the "Black Widow") are blast type anti-personnel mines designed and manufactured in Russia. It is one of the most widely used and commonly found devices during demining operations. The PMN-1 mine is particularly deadly because it contains an unusually large explosive filling. In general, anti-personnel blast mines (e.g. the VS-50) are designed to destroy all or part of a victim's foot. In contrast, a PMN mine can destroy a victim's entire leg (often requiring amputation above the knee) in addition to inflicting severe injuries on the adjacent limb which may also require some form of amputation. A typical anti-personnel blast landmine contains approximately 50 grams of explosive, which is less than a quarter of the explosive charge within a PMN-1. The PMN-2 also has a large explosive filling when compared to many other anti-personnel landmines.

These mines are palm sized and cylindrical in shape. The PMN's has a bakelite case (brown in colour) with a black rubber pressure-plate and contains TNT explosive. Its successor, the PMN-2, is plastic cased (leaf-green in colour, but occasionally brown) and contains an RDX/TNT based explosive that is similar to Composition B.

Note: a significant difference between these two mines is that the PMN-2 (a 1970s design) contains a more modern fuze with an integral baffle beneath the pressure plate. This and the X-shaped design of the pressure plate makes the PMN-2 much more resistant to traditional explosive mine countermeasures, which use sudden blast overpressure to detonate mines. In contrast, the PMN-1 (a 1950s design) can successfully be cleared by such methods.

It is considered highly dangerous to disarm PMN-1 mines by removing the fuze, unless they have only recently been laid and are in good condition. Even if this is the case, what appears to be a standard PMN-1 mine may in fact be the MC-3 version, which features an integral anti-handling device. Therefore, the standard render-safe procedure for PMN-1 mines is to destroy them in situ using a small explosive charge.

pecifications

[
PMN-1 type mines found in Iraq (2003)]

PMN

*Height: 56 mm
*Diameter: 112 mm
*Main charge weight: 240g TNT
*Total weight: 600g
*Fuze: MD-9 (stab-sensitive)
*Operating pressure: 5.8 kg

PMN-2

*Height: 53 mm
*Diameter: 120 mm
*Main charge weight: 100g TG-40 (RDX/TNT)
*Total weight: 420g
*Fuze: MD-9 (stab-sensitive)

Variants

* Type 58 - Chinese copy of the PMN-1
* MM 2, a mine used in Myanmar
* Gyata 64 - Hungarian copy of the PMN-1
* PM-79 mine - Bulgarian variant of the PMN-1
*MC-3 - looks similar to the PMN-1, but has a small "blister" in the centre of the pressure-plate, incorporating a spring-loaded, pressure-release anti-handling device. The explosive content is 310 grams of TNT. The total weight of a MC-3 is 630g. An MC-3 requires a minimum load of between 5 and 6 kgs on the "blister" to prevent detonation. As a result, armed PMN-3 mines will always be encountered under some sort of heavy object e.g. placed beneath an anti-tank mine, to act as an anti-handling device. Note that detonation of an MC-3 under an anti-tank mine is liable to cause sympathetic detonation of the larger munition. Additionally, an MC-3 could be used as a conventional boobytrap device without being buried e.g. deliberately planted inside a building or vehicle.
* PMN-3 - looks similar to the PMN-2, but incorporates a battery-operated tilt-switch anti-handling device designed to kill/wound deminers. The explosive content is 80g phlegmatised RDX. The total weight of the PMN-3 is 600g. This mine has been encountered in Chechnya

ee also

*Anti-personnel mine
*Land mine
*satchel charge

External links

* [http://space.newscientist.com/data/images/archive/2028/20283601.jpgCross-sectional view of PMN-1 mine showing firing mechanism]
* [http://www.nolandmines.com/minesPMN.htm NoLandMines page on PMN]
* [http://www.nolandmines.com/minesPMN2.htm NoLandMines page on PMN-2]
* [http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/spns/PMN-2/poster.jpgPMN-2 Dissection article (details its components and their operation)] from [http://ambidextrousmag.org/issues/04/ Ambidextrous Magazine (issue 4)]
*ORDATA|1148|PMN-1
*ORDATA|6107|PMN-2
* [http://www.popmech.ru/part/print.php?articleid=1221&rubricid=7 Exploded views of the PMN-1 & PMN-2 (Russian language website)]
* [http://dspace.dsto.defence.gov.au/dspace/bitstream/1947/4370/1/DSTO-TR-1582.pdf Evaluation of a Silent Killer: the PMN Anti-Personnel Blast Mine]