BLU-43
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BLU-43/A/B and BLU-44/A/B Dragontooth is a US Army land mine. It is a chemically activated, non-lethal landmine capable of traumatic amputation of the foot of its victim.
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[edit] Overview
The Dragontooth was designed during the Vietnam War with helicopter deployment in mind. Airborne land mines could block roads used by Vietnamese guerrillas or dispersed over the larger area. A chemical self-neutralisation system was used in the mines. It rendered the main explosive content inert after a period of time after activation. However the reliability of the mechanism is unknown, and the detonator and booster charge may still present a hazard.
Although use of these landmines in Vietnam went largely unnoticed, the subsequent Soviet analogue, the PFM-1, spurred a lot of controversy while being used in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and eventually led to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
The BLU-43/44 were used in the CBU-28/A and CBU-37/A cluster bombs (4800 bomblets in each).[1]
[edit] Specifications
- Weight: 20 g
- Length: 75 mm
- Width: 45 mm (when armed)
- Depth: 45 mm
- Explosive content: 9 g of a mixture Nitromethane/Nitroethane
- Sensitizer: Propylenediamene/Methanol
[edit] See also
- Gravel mines, small US made fabric wrapped mines used in Vietnam.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005-2006
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