Rear-safety distance has been decreased to 15 m (49 ft) and shelf life has been increased to 25 years.[8]. The Claymore fires steel balls, out to about 100 m (110 yd) within a 60° arc in front of the device. After locating a suitably low-cost device, the engineers found that fumes from either the C-3 explosive or the cement used to glue the sight to the top of the mine corroded the plastic mirrors, rendering them unusable. The sighting for the device was originally intended to be a cheap pentaprism device, which would allow the user to look down from above and see the sight picture. Quiz by Jeffcotton Using dyes to test various plastics for leaks, they found a suitable plastic called Durex 1661½, which could be easily molded into a case. 9. It is packed in a Claymore bag with inert M10 simulated detonator cap wire, an M57 "clacker" firing control, and an M40 circuit test kit. | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com. The M18 claymore mine is maybe not a household name but I would bet it’s close to it now a days thanks to Hollywood , books and people with hands on experience in the population. The initial versions of the mine used two pairs of wire legs produced from number 9 wire. Anti-personnel mines are used in a similar manner to anti-tank mines, in static "mine fields" along national borders or in defense of strategic positions as described in greater detail in the land mine article. Through Picatinny, the United States Army accepted the weapon into service as the M18 Claymore and approximately 10,000 were produced. When the mine explodes the balls fly out in a cone pattern, devastating anything in range. At Aerojet in the early 1950s, Guy C. Throner had independently come up with a design for a Claymore-like mine. It was awarded a pre-production contract for 1,000 M18A1 Claymores, designated T-48E1 during testing. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. You set it … [1], Technical challenges to overcome included developing a case to contain the corrosive C-3 explosive that would be durable enough to withstand months of field handling in wide temperature ranges. “Standing” behind a claymore isn’t a bright thing to do… it will badly screw up your day. In 1960 it was type standardized as the M18A1. [1], By the spring of 1956, Aerojet had a near-final design. It was used in small numbers in Vietnam from around 1961. The advantage of such a weapon was in the wide dispersal of lethal steel ball bearings up to a distance of 100 yards. A simple open sight on the top surface allows for aiming the mine. [1], The original M18 mine fell far short of Picatinny's requirements. A layer of tinfoil was added between the fragmentation matrix and the explosive. Around 1952 Norman MacLeod, at his company the Calord Corporation, began working on a small directional mine for use by infantry. M18 Claymore The M18 Claymore, a directional fragmentation mine, is 8-1/2 inches long, 1-3/8 inches wide, 3-1/4 inches high, and weighs 3-1/2 pounds. The Misznay–Schardin effect was independently discovered during World War II by Misznay, a Hungarian, and Hubert Schardin, a German. Controlled detonation may be accomplished by use of either an electrical or non-electrical firing system. It was too large to be a practical infantry weapon and was relatively ineffective, with a maximum effective range of only 20 to 30 yards (about 20 to 30 meters).[1]. The blasting cap detonates the C4 explosive in the mine, scattering small steel balls or discs in a 45 deg .angle from the front of the mine. The development project completed, the Aerojet team sent the project back to Picatinny. After a number of experiments, the engineers settled on Devcon-S steel-filled epoxy to hold the balls in place. The M18A1 Claymore is a directional anti-personnel mine used by the U.S. military.Its inventor, Norman MacLeod, named the mine after a large Scottish medieval sword. The second change was to use a poured plastic matrix to briefly contain the blast from the explosive, so that more of the blast energy was converted into projectile velocity. What makes them different from most anti-tank mines, however, is their smaller size, which enables large numbers to be simultaneously deployed over a large area. Type of Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine. [1], A second problem was the curvature of the mine. Chile; China; Finland; Hungary; Italy; Japan; Malaysia; Pakistan; Philippines; Poland; Russia; Serbia; South Africa; South Korea; Sweden; Turkey; United Kingdom; United States; Vietnam; Yugoslavia, M18 "Claymore" - US Base Series Designation. When a sheet of explosive detonates in contact with a heavy backing surface (for example, a metal plate), the resulting blast is primarily directed away from the surface in a single direction. Later a Philadelphia company, Molded Plastic Insulation Company, took over the manufacture of the firing device for the first large-scale production run producing a plastic device.[1]. Can you complete this Mine/Explosion themed typing challenge where typing a wrong letter ends the quiz? It was not until the improved M18A1 was developed that the Claymore became a widely used weapon. Internally the mine consisted of a layer of 12-ounce (340 g) of C-3 explosive (the forerunner of C-4 explosive) in front of which was laid an array of 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) steel cubes. Controlled Mode (also known as Command Detonation) The mine is detonated by the operator as the forward edge of the enemy approaches a point within the killing zone (20 to 30 meters (65 to 100 ft)) where maximum casualties can be inflicted. It comes with all the components of a real Claymore kit packed in an M7 bandolier. Captain Phillip Esposito and First Lieutenant Louis Allen, from a New York Army National Guard unit of the United States 42nd Infantry Division, were mortally wounded in Esposito's office by a Claymore mine and died. Firstly, the hardened steel balls spalled into fragments when hit by the shock of the explosion; the fragments were neither aerodynamic enough nor large enough to perform effectively. Rambo is the fourth movie in the Rambo series, which is based on First Blood, a 1972 novel by Canadian-American novelist David Morrell. The M18 can still be detonated in the electrical or non-electrical fashion which lends herself to be used as a dedicated mine or as an "individual weapon". The device weighed 5 pounds and shot 700 steel cubes 40 feet. Throner, Kennedy, Bledsoe, and Kincheloe at Aerojet, International directional fragmentation AP mines, AIM-120B/C Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces, "Patent 2,972,949 ANTI-PERSONNEL FRAGMENTATION WEAPON", "Engineering the Nonlethal Artillery Projectile", RPGs, grenades and dummies: 9 soldier-tested gadgets, "VS-DAFM 7 Italian anti-personnel "Claymore" mine", "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) – Ammunition for the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) - The Official Home of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency", "FFV-013 Swedish anti-personnel "Claymore" mine", "LI-12/Truppmina-12 Swedish anti-personnel "Claymore" mine", International Coalition to Ban Landmines – Countries using Claymore type mines (PDF), GlobalSecurity.org – FM 23-23 ANTIPERSONNEL MINE M18A1 AND M18 (CLAYMORE) Field Manual, AC-130H/U/J/W Spectre/Spooky II/Ghostrider/Stinger II, MC-130E/H/J/P Combat Talon I/Combat Talon II/Commando II/Combat Shadow, RC-135S/U/V/W COBRA BALL/Combat Sent/Rivet Joint, AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile - Expanded Response, AGM-86B/C/D Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), AGM-88A/B/C High-speed Anti-radiation Missile (HARM), AGM-114 Hellfire Air-to-Surface Missile (ASM), AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M18_Claymore_mine&oldid=991665464, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Peep sight on early models, later a knife edge sight, It must weigh less than 3.5 pounds (1.6 kilograms), It must throw enough fragments so that at a range of 55 yards (50 m) it achieves a 100 percent strike rate on a 1.3 square feet (0.12 m, The fragment area must not be more than 8 feet (2.4 m) high and no more than 60 degrees wide, Fragments must have a velocity of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) per second providing 58, This page was last edited on 1 December 2020, at 05:55. [1], MacLeod applied for a patent for the mine on 18 January 1956 and was granted it in February 1961. The M18 was 9.25-inch (235 mm) long and 3.27-inch (83 mm) high, held in a plastic case with three folding spike legs on the bottom. In early 2015, the U.S. Army began testing a smaller version of the Claymore called the Mini-Multi-Purpose Infantry Munition (M-MPIMS). Many countries have developed and used mines like the Claymore. Detonation is initiated by a No 2 electric blasting cap. In the Vietnam War, the mine was used by the United States Army with effect against NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and VC (Viet Cong) forces along commonly used jungle trails during ambush missions. They adopted simple peep sights, which were later replaced by a knife blade sight. The steel balls are projected in a 60° fan-shaped pattern that is 6.5 feet (2.0 m) high and 50 m (55 yd) wide at a range of 50 m (55 yd). The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. Remove the dust cover from the firing device and firing wire. The detonation proceeds at an explosive velocity of 8,092 m/s (26,550 ft/s). Its inventor, Norman MacLeod, named the mine after a large medieval Scottish sword. [1], Kincheloe immediately suggested using softer 1⁄8-inch (3.2 mm) steel "gingle" balls, which were used in the foundry process. It does not contain an explosive or pyrotechnic filler of any kind. [1], Early pre-production mines were triggered using a battery pack, which had been used with the M18. Dr. John Bledsoe led the initial project. It was caused by two claymore mines placed side by side on the bus by LTTE cadres, which spraying the packed bus with millions of ball bearings upon manual detonation. Detonation is initiated by a No 2 electric blasting cap. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Unlike a conventional land mine, the Claymore is command-detonated and directional, meaning it is fired by remote-control and shoots a pattern of metal balls into the kill zone like a shotgun. View of the complete M18 Claymore anti-personnel mine kit, Front left side view of an M18 Claymore mine, A US Army team addresses their M18 Claymore mine, A piece of scrap metal showcases the results of three M18 Claymore blasts, A US Army specialist adds the blasting cap to an M18 Claymore mine, An M18 Claymore mine is readied; note suspended position, Front right side view of an M18 Claymore mine, An explosion from a detonated M18 Claymore mine viewed at distance, US Army instructional sheet on M18 Claymore mine operation, US Army instructional sheet covering the basic components of the M18 Claymore mine, Authored By: JR Potts, AUS 173d AB and Dan Alex | Last Edited: The light blue or black plastic M33 Inert Anti-Personnel Mine is the training and practice version of the M18A1 Claymore. Italy produces the DAF M6 and DAF M7 directional fragmentation mines, weighing 18 and 10 kilograms respectively, with trip wire or remote control detonation. Bill Kincheloe came up with the idea of using a "Tiny Tim" toggle generator, of the type used with a number of Navy rockets. These performed poorly for two reasons. [1] These fragments are moderately effective up to a range of 100 m (110 yd), with a hit probability of around 10% on a prone man-sized 1.3-square-foot (0.12 m2) target. Unlike a conventional land mine, the Claymore is command-detonated and directional, meaning it is fired by remote-control and shoots a pattern of metal balls into the kill zone like a shotgun. Canada fielded a weapon called the "Phoenix" landmine, which used the Misznay–Schardin effect to project a spray of 0.25-inch (6.4 mm) steel cubes towards the enemy. It does not contain an explosive or pyrotechnic filler of any kind ( 110 )! Project completed, the Aerojet team sent the project to work done during World War II by Misznay, German... These are rarely used '' ) is included with each mine. 1. 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