A Blast resistant mine is a landmine (intended for anti-tank or anti-personnel purposes) with a fuze

Fuze

Fuze Beverage, commercially referred to as just Fuze , is a manufacturer of teas and non-carbonated fruit drinks enriched with vitamins. Currently the brand consists of five vitamin-infused lines: Slenderize, Refresh, Tea, Defensify, and Vitalize...

 which is designed to be insensitive to the shock wave

Shock wave

A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance. Like an ordinary wave, it carries energy and can propagate through a medium or in some cases in the absence of a material medium, through a field such as the electromagnetic field...

 from a nearby explosion. This feature makes it difficult or impossible to clear such mines using explosive minefield breaching techniques. As a result, the process of clearing minefields is slower and more complex. Blast resistance can be achieved in a number of ways.

Pressure blast resistant fuzes

In pressure fuzed landmines this is achieved by having the fuze react differently based on the length of the impulse. For example a number of Italian landmines like the VS-1.6

VS-1.6 mine

The VS-1.6 is an Italian circular plastic-cased scatterable anti-tank blast mine. It has very few metal components and is resistant to overpressure and shock. The mine can also be deployed conventionally and from helicopters...

 use an air system, where air is forced through a small hole into an air bladder, the inflation of which rotates a locking collar and releases the striker into the detonator. Sudden impulse from impact or explosion does not have the time to inflate the bladder and rotate the locking collar, whereas steady pressure from a vehicle's wheel or track does.

A second technique involves the use of tilt or pull, rather than downward pressure to trigger the mine. An example of a mine using this technique is the Valmara 69

Valmara 69

Valmara 69 or V-69 is an Italian bounding anti-personnel mine manufactured by Valsella. The mine was developed from the V-59 mine, and although the mine is no longer produced in Italy, a number of copies were produced in other countries e.g. the "SPM-1" manufactured by Singapore.The South African...

.

A third technique involves the use of a pressure plate with a small surface area yet broad ground coverage like the M1 mine

M1 mine

The M1,M1A1 and M4 are circular steel cased U.S. anti-tank blast mines with a distinctive cross shaped pressure spider. The mine was used during the Second World War and a copy produced in Argentina was used during the Falklands War. Another copy is produced in China. designated the No.4 mine...

. This is less effective than the first two techniques, but much simpler to implement.

Non-pressure blast resistant fuzes

The use of electronic fuzes allows mines to intelligently ignore blast shock waves, by either being designed to ignore the characteristics of a blast shock wave or by using the characteristic magnetic field of the target to detonate the mine. Additionally seismic fuzes can be used to detonate mines, based on the characteristic sounds of foot steps or vehicles.

See also

• Minimum metal mine
  Minimum metal mine
  A minimum metal mine is a land mine that is designed to use the minimum amount of metal in its construction . Both minimum metal anti-tank and anti-personnel mines exist. Some designs contain almost no metal at all...
  
  
• Anti-handling device
  Anti-handling device
  An anti-handling device is an attachment to or integral part of a landmine or other munition e.g. some fuze types found in air-dropped bombs such as the M83, cluster bombs and sea mines. It is specifically designed to prevent tampering. When the protected device is disturbed it detonates, killing...
  
  
• VS-50 mine
  VS-50 mine
  The VS-50 is a circular plastic cased anti-personnel blast mine, formerly manufactured by the now-defunct Valsella Meccanotecnica SpA, an Italian high-tech defense industry specialized in area denial systems which was also the manufacturer of the Valmara 69 and one of the first industries in the...
  
   - blast resistant anti-personnel mine
• TS-50 mine
  TS-50 mine
  The TS-50 is a small circular Italian blast resistant minimum metal anti-personnel mine. The mine has a ribbed plastic case which is olive green, brown or sand colored. The mine has a central raised pressure pad on the top surface of the mine, which can operate even with the mine upside down....
  
   - blast resistant anti-personnel mine
• SB-81 mine
  SB-81 mine
  The SB-81 is an Italian plastic cased minimum metal anti-tank blast mine. The mine uses an air pressure based fuze, which gives it protection against overpressure and blast. It can therefore be regarded as a blast resistant mine. The mine can be scattered by hand or by mine laying systems.The mine...
  
   - blast resistant anti-tank mine
• TC/3.6 and TC/6 mines
  TC/3.6 and TC/6 mines
  The TC/3.6 and TC/6 are round minimum metal Italian anti-tank blast mines. Both mines use the same fuzing system. They have round deep ribbed plastic cases that are either sand colored or olive green. The fuze works on an air pressure system, with the top pressure plate forcing air through a small...
  
  - blast resistant anti-tank mine