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From: scott@sting.Berkeley.EDU (Scott Silvey)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Are there "smart" minefields?
Message-ID: <1991Mar15.040356.10161@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 15 Mar 91 04:03:56 GMT
References: <1991Mar12.231453.29226@cbnews.att.com> <1991Mar14.040457.28320@cbnews.att.com>
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From: scott@sting.Berkeley.EDU (Scott Silvey)

ccspgo@gdr.bath.ac.uk (P G Overend) writes:
|> I seem to remember reading several years ago about "smart" mines. They
|> were called BTRs (Bad Tempered Robots) and had two types of sensor,
|> audio and IR (??).  They could be programmed to ignore certain types
|> of target.  When they detected a valid target they would launch a
|> charge/shell of which they carried two.  This charge/shell (from 
|> memory) was to attack the top surfaces of AFVs.  The article only
|> said that the system was in development for the US forces.  I think that
|> they were to be deployed by air or artillery (what would the shock
|> of being fired do to all those components??).  A 'chute deployed to
|> help them land gently.  They also seemed to have legs which made them
|> self-righting.  Sorry, can't remember any more than that without 
|> referring to the article.


Browsing through Janes Weapon Systems yesterday, I came accross a 
  description of a mine something like this.  The thing was deployed by 
  almost any type aircraft (the illustration showed an F4 delivering one
  mine per "bomb" capsule).  It has three antenae on top of a two round
  turret.  When a tank is detected (by magnetic field disturbance I
  presume), it predicts the point of closest approach and then launches a
  projectile in a high arcing trajectory which then looks around for IR
  emissions from the tank's engine.  After firing the projectile, the 
  turret pivot's 180 degrees, preparing to fire the second round at
  another target.  I believe they said the mine attempts to only fire on
  tanks.

This device was called an "Extended Anti-Armor Munition" or something like
  that.

/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| Scott Silvey           | Ronald Reagan to surgeons in emergency ward after  |
| scott@xcf.berkeley.edu | being shot:                                        |
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| Flames to /dev/null    |        "Please tell me you're Republicans."        |
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