The POM-3 "Medallion" (ПОМ-3, Russian: Противопехотная Осколочная Мина, lit. 'anti-infantry fragmentation mine') is a Russian bounding anti-personnel mine.
Design
The POM-3 is a scatterable mine of roughly cylindrical shape, able to be deployed from the air or by ground forces.1 The Russian ISDM Zemledelie mine-laying rocket launcher, in service since 2021, can deploy the mines in a range from 5 to 15 km.2 Once the mine hits the ground, stabilized by a small parachute, it stands upright on six spring-loaded feet on hard ground, or sticks into the ground if it is soft.12
The mine is activated by a seismic sensor forced into the ground. The sensor detects approaching footsteps and activates the mine if it determines that a person is within lethal range (about 16 meters). Upon activation, a fragmentation charge is ejected into the air and explodes.12 The mine has a self-destruct fuze that detonates the mine 8 or 24 hours after deployment.1
The POM-3 weighs 1.3kg and has a shelf-life of 11 years.3
Use in war
Human Rights Watch reported in March 2022 that Russian forces in the eastern Kharkiv oblast used POM-3 mines in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.4 The use of anti-personnel mines is prohibited by the Ottawa Treaty, to which Ukraine, but not Russia, is a party.4
References
References
- "CAT-UXO - Pom 3 landmine". Collective Awareness to Unexploded Ordnance (CAT-UXO). Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- Nicholls, Dominic (2022-03-30). "Russia using banned 'jumping' landmines in Ukraine". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- "Russian POM-3 anti-personnel landmines documented in Ukraine (2022)". Armament Research Services (ARES). 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
- "Ukraine: Russia Uses Banned Antipersonnel Landmines". Human Rights Watch. 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-03-30.