The MON-50 () is a claymore shaped (rectangular, slightly concave), plastic bodied, directional type of

anti-personnel mine Anti-personnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. Anti-personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines; the latter may ...

designed and manufactured in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. It is designed to wound or kill by explosive fragmentation. The mine first entered service in 1965 and is similar to the American

M18 Claymore The Claymore mine is a directional anti-personnel mine developed for the United States Armed Forces. Its inventor, Norman MacLeod, named the mine after a large medieval Scottish sword. Unlike a conventional land mine, the Claymore is command-de ...

with a few differences.''Brassey's Essential Guide to Anti-personnel Landmines'', Eddie Banks, p.244{{cite web , title=MON-50 , url=https://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.php?smallarms_id=831 , website=Military Factory , publisher=MilitaryFactory.com , access-date=25 December 2021 Its name is derived from Russian мина осколочная направленного (''mina oskolochnaya napravlennogo'', "directional fragmentation mine").

Design

It has folding scissor type legs for supporting and aiming, but it also has an attachment point on the bottom for connecting a special clamp/spike which can be attached to wood, metal etc. It has a peep sight centered on the top which is flanked by two detonator cavities. The mine contains 700 g of

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 ...

(PVV-5A) to propel approximately 540 or 485 fragments to a lethal range of 50 meters in a 54° arc (spread of 45 meters at 50 meter range). The fragments can be steel balls (540) or short steel rods (485) depending on the variant. The MON-50 is usually command actuated using a PN manual inductor and an EDP-R electric detonator. It can also be actuated by a variety of

booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...

(BT) switches including the MUV series pull; the MVE-72 electric breakwire; or the VP13 seismic controller. The MON 50 will usually be mounted above ground level on the surface or up in trees to give the greatest dispersion of fragments. It is waterproof and will function effectively from +50 to −50 °C (it can be buried in snow as long as the pack in front of the mine does not exceed 10 cm; any more will greatly reduce the its effectiveness). The mine can be located visually or with metal detectors under most field conditions. Depending on its actuation method the MON-50 may be resistant to blast overpressure from explosive breaching systems like the Giant Viper and

M58 MICLIC First entering service in 1988, the M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge (MICLIC) is a rocket-projected explosive line charge which provides a "close-in" demining capability for maneuver forces of the United States Army and Marine Corps. It is effective ...

. The MON-50 is currently manufactured in Russia and also manufactured for export in Bulgaria. The MON 50 is widely used in many parts of the world. It comes in a two pouch cloth bandolier which holds all the components for securing and command actuating the mine. It may also come packed in a VKPM-2 set which contains four mines complete with miscellaneous fuzes, control panel and wire.

Specifications

*Country of origin:

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

*Mine action: *Material: Plastic casing *Shape: Claymore *Colour: Green, grey, olive *Total weight: 2 kg *Explosive content: 700 g of

(PVV-5A) explosive *Length: 226 mm *Width: 35 mm *Height: 155 mm *Fuse #1: Command detonated using PN manual inductor attached by demolition cable to an EDP-R electric detonator. *Fuse #2: (one of the following) **MUV Series Mechanical Pull **MVE-72 Electric Breakwire (battery powered) **VP13 Seismic Controller (battery powered)

Further information and effects

The mine has conventional or advanced seismic influence fuzing. It is a hand laid directional fragmentation mine which is normally command actuated (always secure command wires). The MON-50 is known to be used with the VP13 seismic controller which prevents close approach for any clearance operations, or to a variety of BT fuzes. On detonation the mine will normally propel lethal fragmentation to a range between 40 and 60 meters, although the actual hazard range for these types of mines can be as high as 300 metres based on US Army tests of the M18A1 "Claymore" (this is directly in front of the mine, fragmentation range and density drop off to 125 meters to the sides and rear of these mines).

Notes

Land mines of the Soviet Union Cold War weapons of the Soviet Union Anti-personnel mines Explosive weapons Area denial weapons Military equipment introduced in the 1960s

Design

Specifications

Further information and effects

See also

Notes