The FMK-1 is a small circular Argentina
anti-personnel blast mine which, when fitted with a stiffened pressure plate, is also used as the fuze for the
FMK-3 and
FMK-5 anti-tank mine
An anti-tank mine (abbreviated to "AT mine") is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
Compared to anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive c ...
s. The mine has a circular plastic body, with a number of small ribs running vertically around the outside of the mine, with the circular detonator and striker protruding on each side. The pressure plate has a distinctive six pointed star shape ribbing for stiffness. The bottom of the mine has small base plug inside which a small stud is installed. The stud increases the activation pressure of the mine. A metal detector disc can be added to the bottom of the mine, but it is not often used. It is actually in service with the
Argentine Army
The Argentine Army ( es, Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina. Under the Argentine Constitution, the president of Argentina is the commander- ...
.
The mine may have been based on the Russian
PMN mine
The PMN () series of blast anti-personnel mines were designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union. They are one of the most widely used and commonly found devices during demining operations. They are sometimes nicknamed "black widow" because of ...
, and it is similar to the Chinese
Type 58 mine
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* Typ ...
and
Hungarian GYATA 64 mine.
The mine is found in the
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...
where it was used during the
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
. Since Argentina has signed the
Mine Ban Treaty, the only stocks of the mine that have been retained have the thick pressure cap welded on.
Specifications
* Diameter: 82 mm
* Height: 40 mm
* Weight: 253 g
* Explosive content: 152 g of a
TNT/
RDX
RDX (abbreviation of "Research Department eXplosive") or hexogen, among other names, is an organic compound with the formula (O2N2CH2)3. It is a white solid without smell or taste, widely used as an explosive. Chemically, it is classified as a n ...
mix
* Operating pressure:
** 5 kg (without stud fitted)
** 15 to 50 kg (with stud fitted)
** 300 kg (with stud and stiff pressure plate)
See also
*
FMK-3 mine
The FMK-3 is a fibreglass cased Argentine anti-tank blast mine. It is produced by Direccion General de Fabricaciones Militares. The mine actually uses a FMK-1 anti-personnel mine as a fuze, the FMK-1 is modified with a pressure cap to increase ...
*
FMK-5 mine The FMK-5 is a circular Argentina, Argentinian minimum metal mine, minimum metal anti-tank mine, anti-tank blast mine. Like the FMK-3 mine it uses a FMK-1 mine, FMK-1 anti-personnel mine as a trigger. The FMK-1 is fitted with a stiff cap to increase ...
References
* ''Brassey's Essential Guide to Anti-personnel Landmines'', Eddie Banks
* ''Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005-2006''
*
Anti-personnel mines
Land mines of Argentina
Fabricaciones Militares
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