HAL 9000
Honorary Master
- Joined
- May 27, 2008
- Messages
- 22,753
- Reaction score
- 26,657
AI Overview
The Claymore mine (specifically the standard M18A1) is a directional, command-detonated anti-personnel weapon developed for the United States Armed Forces by Norman MacLeod in the 1950s. [1, 2]
Key Characteristics & Specifications
- Design: A curved, olive-drab plastic case stamped with the warning "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY". [1, 2]
- Weight: Approximately 1.5 kg (3.5 lbs), complete with folding scissor-like legs for above-ground placement. [1, 2, 3]
- Explosive Content: Packed with 700g (1.5 lbs) of Composition C-4 explosive. [1, 2, 3]
- Payload: Embedded with roughly 700 steel ball bearings (or steel fragments). [1, 2, 3]
- Blast Pattern: Fires forward in a wide 60-degree horizontal arc, rising about 2 meters high and spanning 50 meters wide at an optimum range. [1]
- Range: Lethal out to approximately 50 meters, with steel projectiles or debris capable of causing injury or traveling up to 100 to 250 meters. The rear and sides are dangerous due to backblast and shrapnel dispersion. [1, 2, 3]
- Detonation: Typically command-detonated by a soldier using an electrical wire (such as an M4 firing wire) connected to an M57 firing device (commonly known as a "clacker"), though they can also be configured with tripwires. [1, 2, 3]
- Deployment: Unlike traditional pressure-triggered landmines buried underground, the Claymore is set up above ground to protect perimeters, cover retreat routes, or execute ambushes. [1, 2, 3]
- Legality: Because it requires manual, human-initiated command detonation rather than random pressure activation by civilians or soldiers, it complies with the command-detonated rules under international frameworks like the Ottawa Treaty. Learn more about its history via Task & Purpose or read the technical breakdown on ODIN Army WEG. [1, 2, 3]
