The PTM-3 ( Russian: ПТМ-3: ПротивоТанковая Мина-3) is a Soviet scatterable self-liquidating

shaped charge A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to form an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, init ...

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 ...

. The mine's case is made up of a stamped steel body with notches in its side. The notches allow the mine to produce a shaped charge effect on five sides - 4 on the sides, and one on the end face. The mine has two arming stages - pyrotechnic and mechanical, and has a magnetic influence battery-powered

fuze In military munitions, a fuze (sometimes fuse) is the part of the device that initiates function. In some applications, such as torpedoes, a fuze may be identified by function as the exploder. The relative complexity of even the earliest fuze d ...

BT-06 ( Russian: БТ-06). The mine can be delivered using the

BM-30 Smerch The BM-30 ''Smerch'' ( rus, Смерч, "tornado", "whirlwind"), 9K58 Smerch or 9A52-2 Smerch-M is a heavy self-propelled 300 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system is intended to defeat personnel, armore ...

(9M55K4),

BM-27 Uragan The BM-27 Uragan (russian: БМ-27 Ураган, lit=Hurricane; GRAU index 9P140) is a self-propelled 220 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system began its service with the Soviet Army in the late 1970s, and wa ...

(9M59),

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first comba ...

(9M22K) MLRS, helicopter-mounted minelaying system VSM-1, remote mining machine UMZ ( Russian: УМЗ) or portable mining kit PKM ( Russian: ПКМ: Переносной Комплект Минирования). It cannot be placed manually, and must only be placed using remote minelaying systems listed above.

Action

The mine can only be deployed on soil with the use of various minelaying systems, within the KPTM-3 cassettes - each containing one PTM-3 mine. A rope is attached to the body of the cassette and the pin of the mine. Once the cassette bursts, the rope pulls on the pin of the mine, completing the mechanical stage of arming. When on the ground, upon the burnout time of the pyrotechnic moderator has elapsed, the fuze moves into "combat position". The arming process generally takes 60 seconds after the trigger of the thermal sensor. When an armored vehicle drives over the mine, due to fluctuations in the magnetic field, the mine is triggered. The created shaped charges as a result of the explosion penetrate the tank, and kill the crew inside or damage the tank systems. If the someone attempts to dislocate the mine when it is armed, it explodes due to the influence of the

Earth's magnetic field Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The magnetic f ...

. If no target has been detected, the mine self-destructs after the completion of the self-liqudation period.

Destruction

Installed PTM-3 mines cannot be removed by dislocation. The mines

self-destruct A self-destruct is a mechanism that can cause an object to destroy itself or render itself inoperable after a predefined set of circumstances has occurred. Self-destruct mechanisms are typically found on devices and systems where malfunction could ...

16-24 hours after deployment. If a mine has not self-destructed upon the completion of the set self-liquidation timeframe, it is destroyed using a remotely-triggered

explosive charge An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

weighing 0.2-0.4 kgs placed next to the mine. It is prohibited to destroy the PTM-3 mines before the self-liquidation period has elapsed, as the placement of the explosive charge could trigger the mine. If the mine must absolutely be removed before the self-liquidation period has elapsed, it can be destroyed by

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

fire, preferably mounted on an armored vehicle.

Specifications

* Mass ** Charge: 1.8 kg of TG-40 (60/40

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 ...

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

) ** Deployed: 4.9 kg ** Full assembly: 8.5 kg * Dimensions (mm): 330x84x84 * Self-liquidation time (h): 16-24 (depends on weather conditions) * Temperature range of use (°С): -40 to +50 * Shelf life: 10 years

Notes

{{reflist Anti-tank mines Land mines of the Soviet Union

Action

Destruction

Specifications

See also

Notes