M18A1 Claymore Mine
The M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine is a weapon (Anti-personnel mine) used by U.S.. It is named after the large Scottish sword, by the inventor, Norman A. MacLeod. The Claymore is designed to fire steel balls (700) (shrapnel) out to about 100 meters (328 ft) across a 60 degree arc in front of the device, which stands just off the ground. It is designed primarily to be used in ambushes and as an anti-infiltration device against enemy infantry, however it is also of some use against soft-skinned vehicles.
The M18A1 was standardized in 1960 for the Vietnam War, and replaced the M18 antipersonnel weapon. Both weapons are similar in appearance and functioning. The M18A1 has an olive coloured plastic casing (inert training versions are blue) with the words "Front Toward Enemy" on it. It is 21.5 cm (8 in) long, 8 cm (3 in) high, and 3.5 cm (1.5 in) deep with two sets of adjustable legs. Inside is 650 grams (1.5 lb) of plastic explosive and 700 steel ball-bearings. It is equipped with a knife edge style sight on currently fielded models (older models featured a fixed plastic slit-type sight which was not as effective for aiming and resulted in the mine being aimed too low, shortening the blast radius), and two detonator wells. The weapon and all its accessories are carried in the M7 bandoleer. An instruction sheet for the M18A1 is attached to the inside cover of the bandoleer.
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