Anti-personnel mine MON-50: installation methods, characteristics and reviews

To counteract the maneuver and advance of enemy forces on land, mine obstacles are widely used - artificial obstacles erected in advance or immediately before the fighting in order to inflict maximum damage to the enemy's manpower and the destruction of its equipment and weapons.

Among all engineering ammunition, the most effective antipersonnel mine is the directed action of MON-50. This type of explosive was first used during the fighting in Afghanistan. Since then, the mine has been significantly improved and developed in the form of several modifications.

Anti-personnel mine

MON-50 - the first domestic fragmentation mine, designed to defeat the enemy's manpower. It is a rectangular prism made of plastic. It can be used to destroy soldiers who are in armored vehicles and other lightly armored vehicles. Defeat to the enemy is applied by metal balls (diameter 6.35 mm) or rollers (rollers). Anti-personnel mine MON-50 with metal rollers causes more damage to the target due to the special form of the damaging elements.

Depending on the type of fuse installed, the mine can be activated from the remote control by the operator's command or when the enemy soldier is hit by a breakaway / tension sensor. The engineering shell is installed on the ground on special folding legs or fixed to horizontal surfaces and local objects with clamps.

Construction MON-50

Externally, the mine is a narrow, convex rectangular prism. Its design includes five basic elements: the body, the damaging elements, the fuse, the explosive charge and the clamp.

The body is made of plastic. This allows to reduce the overall mass of the projectile and at the same time makes it difficult to detect by mine detectors. In the upper part of the body there are two threaded holes for the installation of fuses for the electric detonator EDP-p or for the insertion of the fuse MD-5M, as well as an aiming slot and an arrow indicating the direction of action. On the lower wall, the mine MON-50 has folding legs for mounting the device in snow or in the ground, as well as a flange for attaching the clamp. Metal balls (diameter 6.35 mm) or cylinders (rollers) with a height of 7 mm and a weight of 1.5 grams protrude as the attacking elements. The fragments are located in one layer from the inside of the convex part of the body and are filled with epoxy resin. The same size and geometry of the damaging elements allow them to spread evenly in space, to retain their original speed longer due to a good aerodynamic shape.

Explosive charge and detonating device

As an explosive charge, hexogen is used. Its mass is 0,7 kg, the location is behind the slaughter elements (it fills the entire cavity free from the fragments). Mine MON-50 to detonate the charge is equipped with an electric detonator EDP-p or a fuse MD-5M with a pinched mechanism. Both devices are used to remotely detonate an explosive. EDP-p looks like a detonator, in the muzzle of which is placed an electric igniter with an incandescent bridge of nichrome or platinum-iridium alloy. The electric detonator has established itself as one of the most reliable.

An uncontrolled version of the mine is equipped with a fuse MVE-72 or MUV, used even during the Second World War. In this case, the mine is activated when the fuse sensor (MVE-72) is touched or the detonator wire of the MUV series is dislodged.

Tactical and technical characteristics

The progenitor of the MIN-50 mine was the US military M18 Claymore engineering ammunition, which was actively used during the fighting in Vietnam. TTX mines MON-50 differ from the characteristics of the American analogue with a more focused radius of fragment scattering, as well as a number of other indicators:

• The total mass of the mine is 2 kg;
• Dimensions (WxHxT) - 226 x 90 x 66 mm;
• Number of killer elements - 485 balls or 540 rollers;
• The lesion sector is 54 ^° ;
• Radius of scattering of fragments - 50 m, height - 4 m;
• Range of damage to vehicles and manpower in it - up to 30 m.

Mina can stay in the cocked state for an unlimited amount of time. Mechanisms of self-destruction, non-handling and non-curing are not provided. Safe removal from the mine in the rear - 30 meters. But in practice, judging by the reviews, the fragments do not affect the personnel at a distance of 12-15 meters.

Installing a mine into the ground

Several ways can be installed MON-50 (mine). The methods of mining depend on the conditions of the terrain and climatic conditions. For early fixation of the device in the ground it is necessary:

1. Loosen the plug for the fuse hole.
2. Spread the legs and turn the projectile with a convex face to the opponent.
3. Using the aiming device, aim the device at the target.
4. Press the legs of the mine into the ground to a depth that provides a stable position.
5. Screw one of the detonators into the ignition socket.
6. To disguise mine.

When using EDP-p connect the cable to the electrical control network. If the situation allows, a vertical pole with a height of 60 (160) centimeters, at a distance of 10 (30) meters, is set for aiming.

Installation of mines on snow, on local subjects

Installation of mines MON-50 at a height of snow deposits of less than 20 cm is carried out on a snow bag in advance, which is placed on a well-packed drift. After installing an engineering munition, it is sprinkled to the lower edge of the hull, and also masked by loose snow. It is important that the thickness of the snowdrift before the convex wall is not more than 10 cm.

If the terrain conditions do not allow you to fix a mine in the ground or snow, then it is installed on local objects. For this purpose, a clamp is screwed into the flange on the lower edge of the body. It is fixed by means of a screw on wooden poles, trees, and with the use of fastening screw and nut - on metal constructions. In this case, the order of bringing the mine does not change.

Methods of neutralization

The technology for neutralizing a mine depends on the type of detonator installed. If a controlled fuse of the EDP-p type is used, then:

1. Disconnect the electric detonator from the control network.
2. Unmask the mine and remove the fuse.
3. Remove the device from the installation site.

If the mine MON-50 is equipped with a fuse MVE-72, then its neutralization is impossible. In this case, it is destroyed by trawling in accordance with the instructions. With the use of common FZD-6h or VZD-144h fuses (delayed-action fuses), mine clearance is carried out exclusively by trained sappers in accordance with the instruction to this type of detonators.

Combat application

The MON-50 mines were actively used to protect the borders, airfields, checkpoints of Soviet troops during the Afghan war. At the same time, the method of installing sites of minefields in the gorges, where, according to intelligence, caravans or rebel units had to pass, was particularly widespread.

In the course of combat operations, the mine MON-50 gained wide popularity among Soviet soldiers, especially those who had to spend many hours in patrol or at checkpoints. The result of "national glory" was the emergence of the modification of the MON-90, which should have been favorably distinguished by a greater range of flight fragments (up to 90 m). But in practice, the slaughter elements of the mine MON-90 barely reached the turn of 50 meters. In view of the same efficiency, but much larger mass and dimensions, this modification did not gain fame among the soldiers. At present, there are several modifications of this ammunition with a range of 100 and 200 meters.