BUTTERFLY MINE
Source: The Indian Express
Context
An intelligence bulletin by the UK Ministry of Defence has said that Russia is likely to have deployed anti-personnel mines in the Ukraine War.
Intelligence assessment
- In Donetsk and Kramatorsk, Russia has highly likely attempted employment of PFM-1 and PFM-1S scatterable anti-personnel mines.
- Commonly called the "Butterfly mine", the PFM-1 series are deeply controversial, indiscriminate weapons.
- PFM-1S were used to devastating effect in the Soviet-Afghan War where they allegedly maimed high numbers of children who "Mistook them for toys" the Bulletin said.
- It added that it is highly likely that the Soviet-era stock being used by Russia will have degraded over time and is now unreliable and unpredictable.
The Butterfly mine
- The PFM-1 and PFM-1S are two kinds of anti-personnel landmines that are referred to as 'Butterfly mines" or "Green Parrots".
- These names are derived from their shape and colour.
- The main difference between the PFM-1 and PFM-1S mine is that the latter comes with a self-destruction mechanism which gets activated within one to 40 hours.
- Because of the relatively lesser explosive packed in this small mine, it often injures and maims the handler rather than killing them.
- These mines are also difficult to detect as they are made of plastic and can evade metal detectors.
- These mines can be deployed in the field of action through several means, like being dropped from helicopters or through ballistic dispersion using artillery and mortar shells.
- They glide to the ground without exploding and later explode on contact.
- Since these mines were green in colour when they were first put to use they also earned the name "Green Parrots".
Technical specifications
- The PFM series mines are moulded in polythene plastic and have two wings, one of which is heavier than the other.
- The thicker wing is the pressure activation for the main fuse which is contained in the central body.
- The thinner wing acts as a stabiliser for the mine when it is air-dropped, thus giving it the name "Butterfly".
- As per data available on the mine, a pressure exceeding 5Kg will activate the mine which contains 40 g of explosive.
