Russians using anti-tank mine that leaps in air

A PREVIOUSLY unseen Russian anti-tank mine has been discovered in Ukraine that can leap into the air and attack the top of a turret.

Although known to exist, it is the first time the PTKM1R top-attack mine has been seen operationally.

It is likely to compound fears that even in areas where Ukraine is able to push Russian troops back, the country’s troops and returning civilians will have to deal with an enormous amount of unexploded ordnance (UXO).

It has already been a issue in areas around Kyiv, the capital, that have been liberated since the end of March.

The Ukrainian government estimates that mines are present in around 30 per cent of farm fields once occupied by the Russians and have resulted in several deaths.

The PTKM-1R listens for the sound of approaching vehicles and interprets vibrations through the ground to compare against a pre-programmed target list.

Civilian vehicles and less important military hardware should be ignored by the weapon.

The mine, which is understood to have been introduced into service by the Russian army in 2020, is similar to the US M-93 Hornet wide-area munition. Armies around the world have been racing to develop so-called top-attack weapons in recent years as tank armour technology has developed at great pace.

Armour used to consist mainly of steel plates, which added weight to the vehicle, slowed it down and created suspension problems.

However, modern ceramic armour can achieve the same protection but for much less burden on the vehicle hull.

As with hand-held antitank munitions, researchers

have been designing weapons to attack the less well protected top of the turret.

This could kill the crew or cause the munitions inside to explode, or destroy the tank’s engines, rendering the vehicle inoperable.

Once deployed in position with eight legs to keep the weapon upright, the PTKM1R’S four acoustic sensors “wake up” when a vehicle gets closer than 328ft (100 metres). The upper portion of the weapon – which weighs almost 44lb including the 6lb high-explosive warhead – tilts towards the threat at a 30 degree angle.