PMN_mine

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.

Specifications

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