HB 876 mine
Encyclopedia
The HB 876 mine was an air dropped area denial weapon. It was used as part of the JP233
runway
denial system and the 'Hades' variant of the BL755
cluster bomb
. As a result of the anti-personnel mine
ban it was withdrawn from British Army
service, and the last stockpiles of the mine were destroyed on 19 October 1999.
warhead that creates an explosively formed penetrator
capable of punching through heavy bulldozer
blades. The dimpled sides of the cylinder have a shotgun
effect, generating a pattern of metal fragments capable of penetrating steel plate beyond 20 metres and aluminium
plate beyond 50 meters. The middle section of the mine contains the fuze
, comprising a battery, safety and arming mechanism and electronic sensors. The bottom contains the parachute and a spring-loaded self-righting mechanism which opens like the petals of a sunflower
after the device hits the ground.
After the mine is ejected from either the 'Hades' cluster bomb or JP233 dispenser a drogue parachute
is deployed to slow the mine. The drogue parachute is quickly followed by the main parachute. After impact and a brief delay the mine self-rights and after another delay it arms itself.
The mine is then either triggered by movement or electronically self-destructs after a pre-set delay of a few minutes to more than 24 hours.
JP233
Originally known as the LAAAS , the JP233 was a British submunition delivery system consisting of large dispenser pods carrying several hundred submunitions designed to attack runways.-Design and development:...
runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
denial system and the 'Hades' variant of the BL755
BL755
BL755 is a cluster bomb. Its primary targets are armored vehicles and tanks with secondary soft target capabilities.-Design:The BL755 looks like a standard 1,000 lb general purpose bomb but with a hard "saddle" on the spine for ejector release and crutching pad loads and a distinctive large...
cluster bomb
Cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
. As a result of the anti-personnel mine
Anti-personnel mine
Anti-personnel mines are a form of land mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles...
ban it was withdrawn from British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
service, and the last stockpiles of the mine were destroyed on 19 October 1999.
Description
The mine is a cylinder consisting of three sections. The top section contains the warhead, consisting of an upward facing Misznay-Schardin effectMisznay-Schardin effect
The Misznay–Schardin effect, or platter effect, is a characteristic of the detonation of a broad sheet of explosive. The explosive blast expands directly away from the surface of an explosive...
warhead that creates an explosively formed penetrator
Explosively Formed Penetrator
An explosively formed penetrator , also known as an explosively formed projectile, a self-forging warhead, or a self-forging fragment, is a special type of shaped charge designed to penetrate armour effectively at standoff distances...
capable of punching through heavy bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
blades. The dimpled sides of the cylinder have a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
effect, generating a pattern of metal fragments capable of penetrating steel plate beyond 20 metres and aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
plate beyond 50 meters. The middle section of the mine contains the 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...
, comprising a battery, safety and arming mechanism and electronic sensors. The bottom contains the parachute and a spring-loaded self-righting mechanism which opens like the petals of a sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
after the device hits the ground.
After the mine is ejected from either the 'Hades' cluster bomb or JP233 dispenser a drogue parachute
Drogue parachute
A drogue parachute is a parachute designed to be deployed from a rapidly moving object in order to slow the object, or to provide control and stability, or as a pilot parachute to deploy a larger parachute...
is deployed to slow the mine. The drogue parachute is quickly followed by the main parachute. After impact and a brief delay the mine self-rights and after another delay it arms itself.
The mine is then either triggered by movement or electronically self-destructs after a pre-set delay of a few minutes to more than 24 hours.
Specifications
- Diameter: 100 mm
- Height: 150 mm
- Weight: 2.4 kg
- Explosive content: 590 g of Composition BComposition BComposition B, colloquially "comp B", is an explosive consisting of castable mixtures of RDX and TNT. It is used as the main explosive filling in artillery projectiles, rockets, land mines, hand grenades, sticky bombs and various other munitions...
See also
- Area denial weaponsArea denial weaponsAn area denial weapon is a device used to prevent an adversary from occupying or traversing an area of land. The specific method used does not have to be totally effective in preventing passage as long as it is sufficient to severely restrict, slow down, or endanger the opponent...
- Anti-personnel mineAnti-personnel mineAnti-personnel mines are a form of land mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles...
- Land mineLand mineA land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
- Cluster bombCluster bombA cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...