No.4
Anti-personnel blast or fragmentation mine

 

 

The No.4 is a plastic box mine based on the design of the wooden PMD-6. Made in Israel it is usually green. It has been found in Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq, Falkland Islands, Lebanon, Sudan and Kurdistan.

Height: 50mm
Length: 135mm
Width: 65mm
Explosive charge: 188g TNT

Unlike the wooden box mines, the No.4 is durable and the fuze components are plated to resist corrosion, so the mine can be expected to remain functional for many years.

The fuze screws into the wall of the internal plastic compartment (with a rubber "O" ring). Two types of fuze can be used and the cut-out at the end of the box for the fuze to protrude is a different shape depending on the fuze. When the cut-out is a narrow-slot with a rounded end, the fuze is a simple MUV type with the butterfly pin holding up the lid against the side of the slots. Pressure on the lid pushes out the pin. When the slot is a large square-cornered cut-out with moulded lugs extending to press onto the pin, the fuze used is a variant with a large firing-pin retainer made of bent steel strip rather than wire. The detonators used are reported to be MD-6N types with a thread at both ends. The MUV type fuze can be disarmed by inserting a safety pin through the striker, but the variant cannot be safely neutralised.

In Lebanon, a variant has been found with a matrix of 3mm metal cubes fixed to the lid of the mine. This effectively turns the blast mine into a crude fragmentation device. An example is shown below. The matrix appears to be held under a thin steel sheet that is riveted to the top of the mine.

Based on the number of accidents that have occurred while excavating this mine, I recommend extra caution during excavation and handling.

 

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