M86 Pursuit Deterrent Munition
Encyclopedia
The M86 Pursuit Deterrent Munition (PDM) is a small US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 anti-personnel mine
Anti-personnel mine
Anti-personnel mines are a form of land mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles...

 intended to be used by special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

 to deter pursuing enemy forces.

It functions like a small hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...

, featuring a pin and fly-off lever. It is based on the M67/M72 ADAM
Area Denial Artillery Munition
Area Denial Artillery Munition is a family of US land mines and 155 mm artillery projectiles.The mines carried by these projectiles are the M67 long-duration anti-personnel mines and M72 short-duration anti-personnel landmines intended to maim or kill enemy combatants...

 artillery deployed mine. Once the pin is pulled and the lever has been ejected a timer is started. After 25 seconds, seven tripwire
Tripwire
A tripwire is a passive triggering mechanism. Typically, a wire or cord is attached to some device for detecting or reacting to physical movement...

s are launched from the mine to a maximum distance of 6 meters. The mine then performs an electronic self check, and is fully armed 65 seconds after the battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...

 is activated. When any of the tripwires is touched, the mine activates, a liquid propellant
Propellant
A propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...

 charge launches the mine 1 to 2 m into the air. The M43 fragmentation
Fragmentation (weaponry)
Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...

 warhead
Warhead
The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...

 detonates - breaking the mine into 600 fragments. The mine self-destructs after four hours, or after the battery reaches a certain level. If it fails to detonate, the battery will discharge over approximately 14 days, rendering the mine inactive.

The mines are normally issued in pairs and carried in a special bandolier
Bandolier
A bandolier or a bandoleer is a pocketed belt for holding ammunition. It was usually slung over the chest. In its original form, it was common issue to soldiers from the 16th to 18th centuries. This was very useful for quickly reloading a musket....

.

Links

  • http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/munitions/pdm.htm
  • http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/pdm.htm
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