Claymore mine

Claymore mine
Claymore mine
	The M18A1 Claymore mine with the M57 firing device and M4 electric blasting cap assembly.
Type	Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1960–present
Used by	United States, United Kingdom, Denmark
Wars	Vietnam War; Korean conflict; Cambodian Civil War; Soviet–Afghan War; Iraq War; Gulf War; Operation Protective Edge; Bosnian War; Rhodesian Bush War; War in Afghanistan; Sri Lankan Civil War; Myanmar Civil War; Russian invasion of Ukraine;
Production history
Designer	Norman Macleod and others
Designed	1952–1956
Manufacturer	Mohawk Electrical Systems
Unit cost	$119 as of 1993
Specifications
Mass	3.5 lb (1.6 kg)
Length	216 mm (8.5 in)
Width	38 mm (1.5 in)
Height	124 mm (4.9 in)
Caliber	.125, or 1⁄8-inch (3.2 mm) diameter steel balls, c. 700 per unit
Muzzle velocity	3,995 ft/s (1,218 m/s)
Effective firing range	50 m (55 yd)
Maximum firing range	250 m (270 yd)
Sights	Peep sight on early models, later a knife edge sight
Filling	C-4
Filling weight	680 g (24 oz)
Detonation; mechanism	Blasting Cap Assembly M4

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.^{[citation needed]} Unlike a conventional land mine, the Claymore may be command-detonated (fired by remote-control), and is directional, shooting a wide pattern of metal balls into a kill zone. The Claymore can also be activated by a booby-trap tripwire firing system for use in area denial operations.

The Claymore fires steel balls out to about 100 m (110 yd) within a 60° arc in front of the device. It is used primarily in ambushes and as an anti-infiltration device against enemy infantry. It is also used against unarmored vehicles.

Many countries have developed and used mines like the Claymore. Examples include models MON-50, MON-90, MON-100, and MON-200 introduced by the Soviet Union and used by its successor Russia,^[3] as well as MRUD (Serbia), MAPED F1 (France), and Mini MS-803 (South Africa).

^ Cite error: The named reference Grupp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Operator's and Unit Maintenance Manual for Landmines TM 9-1345-203-12 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army. October 1995. pp. 1–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015 – via mines.duvernois.org.
^ Boffey, Daniel (13 August 2023). "'You don't survive that': Ukraine sappers dice with death to clear Russian mines". The Guardian.

[Grupp-1] Cite error: The named reference Grupp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Operator's and Unit Maintenance Manual for Landmines TM 9-1345-203-12 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army. October 1995. pp. 1–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015 – via mines.duvernois.org.

[3] Boffey, Daniel (13 August 2023). "'You don't survive that': Ukraine sappers dice with death to clear Russian mines". The Guardian.

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