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M18A1 Claymore
The M18 Claymore series are directional antipersonnel mines developed during the 1950s. The M18A1 Claymore is the main production version and the most likely to be seen: it was adopted by the United States Military in 1960 and first used in Vietnam in 1966. Contrary to depictions in media which usually show it as rigged to a tripwire or proximity detonated, the M18A1 is almost always used in a command-detonated mode using the M57 "clacker" detonator (a small piezoelectric toggle generator based on an igniter developed by the US Navy for the "Tiny Tim" air-to-surface rocket) linked to the mine via a cable. Multiple mines can be daisychained to the same detonator. While they are not usually used in a self-detonated mode, it is possible to rig up systems to detonate the mine via other means: anything which can trigger a blasting cap will work.
The mine's payload is 700 1/8-inch (3.2mm) steel ball bearings encased in a resin matrix, set in front of a convex layer of C4 explosive that is normally triggered by a blasting cap. On detonation, the ball bearings are ejected in a 60-degree arc at around 4,000 feet per second (1,200 meters per second or Mach 3.6) with the force of the detonation distorting them to the point they resemble .22 caliber bullets. The mine's effective range is around 55 yards (50m), though fragments can travel up to 270 yards (250m). Because the plastic mine body is completely destroyed by the detonation, the Claymore also has a "backblast" danger zone of 52 feet (16m) in the remaining 300 degrees not part of the main blast. The "hump" on the top of the mine is an iron sight to allow the user to judge its area of effect when placing it, with the two "ears" on the side a pair of removable combination shipping plugs and priming adaptors which cover the two fuze wells: these can be rotated, and can either be used to route a cable through to an inserted blasting cap, or removed to insert non-standard detonators. Claymores are typically issued in an M7 bandolier ("Claymore bag") containing a printed instruction sheet, a mine, M6 electric blasting caps, the M57 detonator, a 100-foot (30m) M4 firing wire wrapped around a plastic spool, and an M40 circuit tester for function tests.
The original M18 was barely produced (only 10,000 were made, some of which made their way to Vietnam in 1961) and can be distinguished from the M18A1 by having straight stakes for legs rather than the fold-open scissor-legs of the M18A1, with stability provided by a third leg in the middle which extends out in front of the mine, and with the iron sight on top of the mine an optional accessory. It is not marked "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY." It is also internally different, using C-3 explosive instead of C4 and using steel cube projectiles instead of ball bearings. It was ineffective, having numerous reliability issues and a range of only 30 yards (27m). The battery-powered firing device issued with this variant and early M18A1s was notoriously unsafe to the point that FM 23-23 ("Antipersonnel Mine M18A1 And M18 (Claymore)") states that batteries should not be inserted into it unless the user is attempting to detonate whatever it is attached to.
The Claymore has been extensively copied by other powers with the Soviet MON-50 anti-personnel mine being the most numerous of these. The Soviets also produced the double-sized MON-90, and other widely-used copies include the Chinese Type 66 and Serbian MRUD. The US also produces the smaller MM-1 "Minimore" and the US military is currently testing a 2-pound variant as the "Mini-Multi-Purpose Infantry Munition" (M-MPIMS).
In a live-action production the mines are, obviously, never going to be live devices outside of stock footage. The mine casing often comes from an M68 Inert Training Kit: the mine in this kit, the M33, has no explosive or pyrotechnic filler, and is either blue, black, or green with a blue band. The kit also contains an M10 inert firing wire. In films, M33 mines can sometimes be recognised by the green paint flaking off or being scratched due to handling, revealing the original color below and / or the word "INERT" written on both edges of the rear face on some variants (for example in Predator). In both this movie and Commando the armorer appears to have ground off "M33" from the rear face, leaving only the words "BACK APERS MINE," though more recent films have either added the "M18A1" lettering or used reproduction M18A1 backplates.
The M18A1 Claymore and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:
Specifications
(1954-1960s (M18), 1960 – Present (M18A1))
- Type: Antipersonnel mine
- Origin: United States
- Weight: 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
- Length: 8.5 in (21.6 cm)
- Fire Modes: Command detonation, other methods can be jury-rigged
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Notation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Green Berets | As part of base defense perimeter | 1968 | ||
| Uncommon Valor | weapon cache | 1983 | ||
| Commando | Arnold Schwarzenegger | John Matrix | With fictional wireless detonator | 1985 |
| The Park is Mine | Jong Soo Park | Tran Chan Dinh | 1985 | |
| Platoon | 1986 | |||
| Predator | Bill Duke | Sgt. Mac | M33, green paint partially rubbed off in one scene showing blue underneath | 1987 |
| Bullet in the Head | Simon Yam | Ah Lok | 1990 | |
| Bullet in the Head | Jacky Cheung | Fai | 1990 | |
| Bullet in the Head | Việt Cộng | 1990 | ||
| G.I. Jane | Jim Caviezel | Slovnik | 1997 | |
| Proof of Life | Russell Crowe | Terry Thorne | 2000 | |
| Sniper 2 | 2002 | |||
| Tears of the Sun | Cole Hauser | James "Red" Atkins | 2003 | |
| S.W.A.T. | Jeremy Renner | Brian Gamble | 2003 | |
| S.W.A.T. | Colin Farrell | Officer Jim Street | 2003 | |
| The Punisher | Thomas Jane | Frank Castle | 2004 | |
| Jarhead | Brian Geraghty | Fergus | 2005 | |
| Rambo | Sylvester Stallone | John Rambo | 2008 | |
| Predators | Oleg Taktarov | Nikolai | 2010 | |
| Maximum Conviction | Steve Austin | Manning | 2012 | |
| Red Dawn | Josh Hutcherson | Robert Kitner | 2012 | |
| Edge of Tomorrow | Fictionalized custom prop | 2014 | ||
| No Tears for the Dead | 2014 | |||
| Bright | Shield of Light arsenal | 2017 |
Television
| Show Title | Actor | Character | Note / Episode | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour of Duty | U.S. soldiers | 1987-1990 | ||
| Generation Kill | U.S. Marines | 2008 | ||
| East West 101 | Extremists | 2009 | ||
| True Detective - Season 3 | Michael Greyeyes | Brett Woodward | 2019 |
Anime
| Title | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Those Who Hunt Elves - Season 1 | Ritsuko Inoue | "The Search for the 1000th Fighter" (S1E04) | 1996 |
| Kochikame, The Movie | JSDF members | 1999 | |
| Magikano | Rika Anju | "Did a Maid Really Come?" (Ep.07) | 2006 |
| Future Diary | 2011 |
Video Games
Claymore mines in videogames are almost universally shown as proximity detonated, usually triggered by stepping inside their blast zone; as a result, their area of effect is generally unrealistically small. Proximity detonation is not a feature of the real mine, which is typically command detonated using a "clacker" triggering device. They also invariably only have any effect in their main 60 degree arc, without the 52-foot concussion and case fragment hazard zone in all directions.
| Game Title | Appears as | Mods | Notation | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Gear Solid | Claymore | Fictional version with proximity detonator and optic stealth | 1998 | |
| Fallout Tactics | Claymore | 2001 | ||
| Ghost Recon | 2001 | |||
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | Claymore | Fictional version with proximity detonator and optic stealth | 2001 | |
| Conflict: Desert Storm II | 2003 | |||
| Battlefield: Vietnam | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2003 | ||
| Vietcong | 2003 | |||
| Vietcong 2 | 2003 | |||
| Ghost Squad | Fictional version with 5 second detonator | 2004 | ||
| Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes | Claymore | Fictional version with proximity detonator and optic stealth | 2004 | |
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | Claymore | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2004 | |
| Conflict: Vietnam | 2004 | |||
| Battlefield 2 | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2005 | ||
| Project Reality | 2005 | |||
| Project Reality | Type 66 | 2005 | ||
| Conflict: Global Terror | 2005 | |||
| Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2007 | ||
| Crysis | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2007 | ||
| Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Claymore | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2008 | |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2009 | ||
| Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising | 2009 | |||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops | Claymore | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2010 | |
| Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2010 | ||
| Sniper: Ghost Warrior | 2010 | |||
| Delta Force: Xtreme 2 | 2010 | |||
| Battlefield Play4Free | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2011 | ||
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2011 | ||
| War Inc. Battlezone | 2011 | |||
| Call of Duty: Black Ops II | Fictional version with futuristic body and proximity detonator | 2012 | ||
| Ghost Recon: Future Soldier | 2012 | |||
| Project Reality: Falklands | 2012 | |||
| Project Reality: Vietnam | 2012 | |||
| Aliens: Colonial Marines | "M20 Claymore Mine" | Fictional variant with quad laser-based detonator | 2013 | |
| ArmA Tactics | M18A1 Claymore | command-detonated and proximity-detonated | 2013 | |
| Warface | 2013 | |||
| Battlefield 4 | Fictional version with proximity detonator | 2013 | ||
| Rainbow Six Siege | Claymore | Fictional variant with triple laser-based detonator | 2015 | |
| Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades | "Laser Claymore" | Fictional variant with laser-based detonator | 2016 | |
| Rising Storm 2: Vietnam | 2017 | |||
| Ironsight | Claymore | Fictional version with proximity detonator with black and white finish | 2018 | |
| Call to Arms | 2018 | |||
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | Claymore | Fictional version with laser-based detonator | 2019 |