The SB-81 is an Italian plastic cased minimum metal anti-tank blast mine dating from the early 1980s. The mine uses an air pressure based

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 ...

, which gives it protection against overpressure and blast. It can therefore be regarded as a

blast resistant mine A Blast resistant mine is a landmine (intended for anti-tank or anti-personnel purposes) with a fuze which is designed to be insensitive to the shock wave from a nearby explosion. This feature makes it difficult or impossible to clear such mines ...

. The mine can be scattered by hand or by mine laying systems. 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 ...

and the

Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

. An electronically

d version of this mine (the SB-81/AR-AN) was also produced which featured an integral anti-handling device plus self-destruct capability.

Specifications

* Weight: 3.3 kg * Explosive content: 2.2 kg of (84% TNT, 15%

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 ...

, 1%

HMX HMX, also called octogen, is a powerful and relatively insensitive nitroamine high explosive, chemically related to RDX. Like RDX, the compound's name is the subject of much speculation, having been variously listed as High Melting Explosive, Her ...

) * Diameter: 230 mm * Height: 90 mm * Operating pressure: 150 to 310 kg

Variants

* YM-II - This is an Iranian copy of the mine, its specifications are slightly different from the SB-81 - it weighs 3.2 kg and has a main charge of 2 kg of

Composition B Composition B, colloquially Comp B, is an explosive consisting of castable mixtures of RDX and TNT. It is used as the main explosive filling in artillery projectiles, rockets, land mines, hand grenades and various other munitions. It was also use ...

. It is produced in olive green or sand coloured ABS plastic and is found in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. * M/453 - A copy produced in Portugal. It is in service with the Portuguese armed services. * Expal SB-81 - A copy produced in Spain.

References

* ''Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005-2006'' * Anti-tank mines of Italy Military equipment introduced in the 1980s {{Landmine-stub