ARGES is an anti-tank off-route mine, developed by an international consortium to meet the needs of the British, French and German armed forces. The system consists of a rocket and launch tube, a tripod and a sensor package. The sensor package has an acoustic sensor that detects the approach of a suitable target and activates the passive

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

and

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The firs ...

sensors which trigger the launch of the rocket when the target passes in front of it. The rocket uses a modified version of the motor from the

LAW 80 The LAW 80 (Light Anti-armour Weapon 80), regularly referred to as LAW 94 in British service, is a man-portable, disposable anti-tank weapon previously used by the British Army and a few other militaries. Description The weapon consists of an ext ...

anti-tank rocket, and has a tandem HEAT warhead, enabling it to penetrate the side armour of all main battle tanks, including those protected with

reactive armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour that reacts in some way to the impact of a weapon to reduce the damage done to the vehicle being protected. It is most effective in protecting against shaped charges and specially hardened kinetic ener ...

. The rocket has a range of between two and ninety meters, with the hit probability at ninety meters being 97%. The mine is highly programmable with an active window of between three hours and forty days, to choose a specific target in a convoy, as well as the ability to be re-programmed. The system can also be command initiated.

Specifications

* Weight: 18 to 22 kg quoted. * Length: 1.02 m * Height: from 230 mm to 700 mm * Range: 2 to 97 m * Traverse: -45 degrees to + 45 degrees

References

"Germany: Mine Ban Policy," ''Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arges Mine Anti-tank mines