PMD series mines
| PMD | |
|---|---|
.jpg) A PMD-6 | |
| Type | Anti-personnel mine |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See users |
| Wars |
|
| Production history | |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications (PMD-6) | |
| Mass | 400 g (14 oz) |
| Length | 190 mm (7.5 in) |
| Width | 90 mm (3.5 in) |
| Height | 65 mm (2.6 in) |
| Filling | TNT |
| Filling weight | 200 g (7.1 oz) |
Detonation mechanism | Pressure or tripwire |
| References | |
The PMD-6, PMD-7 and PMD-57 series mines are Soviet Union blast-type anti-personnel mines that consist of a wooden box with a hinged lid with a slot cut into it. The slot presses down against a retaining pin, which holds back the striker. When sufficient pressure is applied to the lid of the box the retaining pin moves, allowing the striker to hit the detonator. The mines typically have an operating pressure of 1 to 10 kg.
Due its minimal use of metal, it was virtually indetectable by 1940s metal detectors, but by the late 1990s it could be located at a range of 30 m (98 ft) with a Ebinger 420 or other contemporary detectors. As with other wooden box mines, the mine has a relatively short lifetime since the box is vulnerable to rotting and splitting, disabling the mine. In dry climates however, PMD-6s were found in operational condition up to ten years after being laid.
The mines are sometimes used with mortar bombs in place of the normal explosive blocks.
Variants
- PMD-6 − original version of the mine, first used in the 1939 Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland.
- PMD-6M − slightly larger version of the mine, with a leaf spring installed inside the box to increase operating pressure, which allows safer handling during minelaying.
- PMD-6F − a version used extensively during the Siege of Leningrad, with an ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) main charge.
- PMD-7 − smaller version of the mine, using a cylindrical main charge.
- PMD-7ts − consists of a solid wooden block hollowed out to accept the main charge and fuse.
- PMD-57 − A later, larger box mine, using a larger warhead.
- Type 59 − Chinese copy
- PP Mi-D − Czech copy
- PMD-1 − Yugoslav copy
Due the mine simple construction and to evade the arms embargo, Rhodesia produced copies of the PMD-6 during the Rhodesian Bush War.
Specifications
| PMD-6 | PMD-6M | PMD-7 | PMD-7ts | PMD-57 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 460 g | 490 g | 400 g (approx) | 400 g | |
| Explosive content | 200 g | 200 g | 75 or 200 g | 50 or 75 g | 400 g |
| Length | 190 mm | 200 mm | 152 mm | 200 mm | |
| Width | 90 mm | 90 mm | 76 mm | 100 mm | |
| Height | 45 mm | 50 mm | 51 mm | 80 mm | |
| Operating pressure | 1 to 12 kg | 6 to 28 kg | 1 to 9 kg | 19 kg | |
Users
Afghanistan
Albania − PMD-6 produced locally until 1991. Stockpiles destroyed in 2002
Algeria − PMD-6 and PMD-6M, used for training only
Angola − PMD-6, used for training only
Armenia
China − Produced locally as the Type 59
Congo-Kinshasa − PMD-6, used for training only
Czechoslovakia − Produced locally as the PP Mi-D
Ecuador − PMD-6M. Stockpiles destroyed in 2002
Eritrea − PMD-6, seized from Ethiopian depots or minefields
Ethiopia
Iraq − PMD-6
Guinea-Bissau − PMD-6 
North Korea − PMD-6
Mozambique − PMD-6
Myanmar − PMD-6
Namibia
Nepal − PMD-6
Nicaragua − PMD-6M. Stockpiles destroyed between 1999 and 2002
Peru − PMD-6 and PMD-6M, used for training only
Poland − PMD-6 produced locally until 1957, remaining stockpiles used for training only
Rhodesia − Locally produced copies of the PMD-6
Soviet Union − Replaced by the PMN in the early 1960s
Tajikistan − PMD-6
Turkmenistan
Uganda − PMD-6 produced locally
Yemen − PMD-6, used for training only
Yugoslavia − Produced locally as the PMD-1
Non-state actors
Contras− PMD-6
Khmer Rouge − PMD-6
Viet Cong − PMD-6
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 King 1998, p. 227.
- ↑ Croll 1998, p. 137.
- ↑ Croll 1998, p. 44.
- 1 2 Croll 1998, p. 117.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, pp. 99−100.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 115.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 120.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 919.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 1999, p. 458.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 357.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 402.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, pp. 421, 425.
- ↑ Jacobson 1991, p. 36.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 478.
- ↑ Croll 1998, p. 101.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 580.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 938.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 598.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 1078.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 619.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 658.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 907.
- 1 2 Croll 1998, p. 103.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 790.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 831.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 835.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 866.
- ↑ Landmine Monitor 2004, p. 488.
- ↑ Physicians for Human Rights 1993, p. 172.
Bibliography
- Croll, Mike (1998). The history of landmines. Barnsley, UK: Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0-85052-628-8.
- Landmine Monitor (1999). Landmine Monitor Report 1999: Toward a Mine-free World. Human Rights Watch. ISBN 978-1-56432-231-9.
- Landmine Monitor (2004). Landmine Monitor Report. Human Rights Watch. ISBN 978-1-56432-327-9.
- Jacobson, Michael R. (January–February 1991). Garland, Albert N. (ed.). "Iraqi Infantry". Infantry. 81 (1). Fort Benning, GA: U.S. Army Infantry School: 33–37. ISSN 0019-9532. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- King, Colin, ed. (1998). Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance, 1998-99 (3rd ed.). Coulsdon, Surrey, UK and Alexandria, VA: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-1803-0.
- Physicians for Human Rights (1993). Landmines: A Deadly Legacy. Human Rights Watch. ISBN 978-1-56432-113-8.
- Brassey's Essential Guide To Anti-Personnel Landmines, Recognizing and Disarming, Eddie Banks, ISBN 1-85753-228-7
- Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005-2006
- TM 5-223, Foreign Mine Warfare Equipment
- PMD-6 / PMD-6M Mine Specifications - sappers.org
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to PMD.