The M18A1 Claymore is a directional anti-personnel mine, a plastic explosive combined with steel shrapnel. It was the Special Weapon of the US Army Rangers.
Description[edit | edit source]
- Charge: 680 g of C4
- Weight: 3.5 lb
- Length: 216 mm
- Width: 38 mm
- Height: 124 mm
- Shrapnel: 700 1/8-in steel balls
- Shrapnel Velocity: 3,995 ft/s
- Effective Range: 55 yards
- Detonation Mechanism: Two detonator well for electrical detonators
Uses[edit | edit source]
Unlike a conventional landmine, the Claymore mine is command-detonated and directional, being fired by a remote-control and shooting a pattern of metal balls into the kill zone like a shotgun. It is primarily used for ambushes and as an anti-infiltration device against enemy infantry.
Test[edit | edit source]
This weapon was tested against the the Box Mine in eliminating a group of three targets. The box mine failed to trigger the pointman's 100G shock patch but still killed it with a potentially fatal leg amputation while the M18 Claymore killed all three targets through its shrapnel spray. The edge was given to the M18 Claymore for its higher lethality.
