Anti-personnel mine OZM-72: characteristics, description and principle of operation

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

At the word "mine" the imagination immediately draws an explosive device buried in the ground. First appearing in French, this word was originally associated with the land and meant “mine”, “undermining”, which were often used during siege wars. Fortified and defended cities during the conduct of hostilities were attacked with the help of trenches and approaches dug up to their walls with further laying of explosive charges filled with gunpowder. At first, a mine was called an underground horizontal mine near the walls of the enemy, later the explosive device itself began to be called this word. The word "sapper" also appeared in French. They called him a man who carried out undermining and undermining enemy fortifications.

History

The use of explosive mechanisms filled with striking elements in many wars has proved one hundred percent effectiveness of their use to eliminate fortified structures, enemy infantry and its military equipment. Discoveries infields of chemistry: the appearance of xyloidin, pyroxylin, liquid nitroglycerin, TNT and s altpeter - as well as the rich experience of warfare already available to mankind served as a good impetus for the improvement of explosive devices.

Primitive bookmarks under enemy walls using fickford cords are a thing of the past. Their place was taken by modern products using special capsules - detonators and electric ignition systems.

Explosive mechanisms buried in the ground have always been considered very dangerous because of their secrecy. But time has shown that their effectiveness is not one hundred percent, since the mine directly eliminated only the object that came into contact with it, and left others intact. A much better result could be achieved if the mine was above the ground. But in this case, it would be visible. This shortcoming in the mine business required an immediate solution, which was the device, called OZM-72. Let's take a closer look at it.

Mina OZM-72: performance characteristics (performance characteristics)

The type of device belongs to anti-personnel fragmentation, jumping out with a circular defeat explosive mechanisms.

Steel is used to make the body of the mine.

Total weight is 5 kg, of which 660 g is explosive.

Diameter - 10.8 cm, case height - 17.2 cm.

The OZM-72 mine is designed for a weight of 1 to 17 kg, the temperature range of use is from -60 to +60 degrees, the radius of destruction does not exceed 30 m. The term of combat operation is not limited. Mina is not equippedself-liquidators and does not contain elements that prevent it from being removed or rendered harmless.

Fuses MUV and MVE-72

As a fuse, there can be a mechanical MUV or an electromechanical MVE-72. The mechanical one is very sensitive, which makes the process of clearing a mine with it very dangerous.

Design Features

Elements of OZM-72 are:

• Guide glass. Steel is used to make it. At the bottom of the glass there is a special chamber designed for fixing a tension cable in it, connecting the glass with the percussion mechanism. The glass contains a body with an explosive charge and fragments.
• Charge. TNT is used as a charge for the OZM-72 mine, which fills the internal cavity of the clip. Located at the top of the center sleeve.
• Expelling charge. Designed to push an explosive device out of the ground to a height of 1 m. For the manufacture of an expelling charge, smoke powder collected in a fabric bag is used. The charge is contained in a special tube.
• Impact mechanism. Located at the bottom of the center sleeve.
• Detonating capsule. It is placed in the nest of an additional detonator and is mounted only at the moment when the OZM-72 mine is directly installed.
• Carabiners and ropes. Designed for fastening the pins of the explosive mechanism with wire extensions.
• Wire streamers. Wound into coils during installation, they reach a length of up to 15 m. They are intended for arranging traps-stretch marks.
• Pegs made of wood and metal. Wooden stakes are used for arranging stretch marks, and metal stakes are used for fastening mines in frozen ground and mounting a cable with carabiners. Dural corner is used for the production of metal stakes.

Purpose

The explosive device OZM-72 is designed to completely eliminate or temporarily disable enemy infantry. The degree of damage from fragmentation elements, which are metal balls, can be different: from the elimination of one soldier to several. This became possible due to the fact that OZM-72 anti-personnel mines are hidden in the ground and are not visible from the outside. And the expelling charge in their mechanism throws up a device that explodes already above the ground at a height of 1 m with a circular defeat of up to 30 m.

How does the OZM-72 mine work?

The principle of operation of the mine is to throw out with the help of an expelling charge from a guide cup to a meter height a bursting steel shell, consisting of metal, cylindrical pieces, capable of flying apart after an explosion within a radius of up to 30 meters. The mine fires upon contact with a pegged tripwire connected to the fuse pin.

It could be MVE-72. In this case, it is enough to touch the electrical wire connected to the check. Also, an MUV is used as a fuse, in which not electricity is used, but mechanics. To trigger a mine, the enemy should hook a stretched wire -stretching, connected at one end to the fuse. The subsequent detonation produces an ejection above the ground from the charge cup, which is represented by a steel shell filled with TNT. When explosives interact, the shell forms round and cylindrical submunitions that scatter in all directions.

Bookmarking steps

How is OZM-72 laid? The explosive mechanism is installed manually into the ground or into the snow.

The bookmarking process consists of the following steps:

• arrangement of a hole with a diameter of up to 200 mm with further placement of mines in it;
• installation of a detonating capsule;
• installation of a metal peg at a distance of 50 cm from the mine;
• cable fasteners with carabiners for wire brace;
• installation of one wooden peg with the wire passing through it for the entire length; the end of the stretch must be attached to the top of the second peg; it is imperative that the wire between the wooden stakes sag a little - 20-30 mm is enough;
• unscrewing the protective cap covering the mine igniter;
• bringing the checks of the fuse into a combat state;
• connection with a carabiner of a prepared wire guy with a fuse pin;
• camouflage of the planted mine.

Recommendations for installation

• The metal peg should be hammered into the ground in such a way that its upper part is not conspicuous. To do this, its top with a wire threaded into it must protrude aboveground level no more than 150 mm. At the same time, you need to dig it in the direction of the enemy. This is easy to determine by the special recess in the metal peg. When placing an explosive device, it must be directed towards the mine.
• The safety pin is recommended to be pulled out of the fuse only after the reliability check for holding the combat pins has been carried out.
• After hooking on the combat check of the carbine, it should not be pulled out. If this happens, it means that the metal peg is driven in poorly and is shifted to the side, while lowering the tension of the wire guy.
• The installation of the OST-72 anti-personnel mine is easily carried out in soft soil in the summer, and in the winter in frozen ground with further masking by snow. In the event that you have to work with too soft soil, which is typical for swampy areas, it is recommended to use boards no more than 15x15 cm. Their thickness should be 25 mm. The use of boards guarantees the reliability of the escape of the shell from the steel cup.

The modern development of military production makes it possible to take into account all the strengths and weaknesses of explosive devices. Thanks to this, mines are now in service in a wide variety: from the simplest products with primitive fuses and weak explosive fillers to the most complex remote-controlled mechanisms, the development of which uses the latest achievements of science.