OZM-4 Antipersonnel Mine

A person, or several persons simultaneously, are injured by fragments of the mine body when it detonates at a height of 60-80 cm above the ground surface after being projected by the powder ejection charge, which functions at the moment when an enemy soldier, catching his foot on the tripwire, pulls out the fuze firing pin, or when an electrical impulse is sent from the control panel to the igniter of the ejection charge.

The mine is emplaced manually in the ground, and when emplacement in the ground is not possible, on the ground surface; in this case the mine is tied to a stake driven into the ground, similarly to the OZM-3, with the only difference being that the length of the tripwire is up to 10 m.

The mine’s service life in combat is not limited.

The mine is not fitted with a self-destruct mechanism.

It has no anti-lift or anti-disturbance devices; however, the very high sensitivity of the MUV fuze makes mine neutralization extremely dangerous.

It may be set to prevent removal using booby-trap mines.

It consists of a cast-iron body containing an explosive charge, a powder ejection charge, a pull cable, an internal striker-release mechanism, and an igniter.

The OZM-4 mine has no electric igniter, therefore it is not used as a command-detonated mine.

Unlike the OZM-3, after the mine bounds, initiation occurs not as a result of completion of the powder delay element’s burning, but under the action of the pull cable, one end of which is secured to the bottom of the mine and the other to the internal detonator.

In frozen ground and with a snow cover of 15 cm or more, the mine is emplaced on the ground surface, packed on the sides with tamped snow, and camouflaged with snow, similarly to the OZM-3. It should also be borne in mind that when the ground is frozen to a depth of 10-15 cm, the powder ejection charge may fail to project the mine, and if this does not occur, due to design features, unlike the OZM-3, there will be no detonation.

The time required for the mine to become armed after removal of the safety pin depends on the type of MUV-series fuze. When the MUV fuze is used, the mine becomes armed immediately. When MUV-2 or MUV-3 fuzes are used, from the moment the safety pin is pulled until the fuze is set to the armed position, depending on ambient temperature, from 3 minutes at +40°C to 59 hours (2.5 days) at -40°C elapses.

Neutralization of OZM-4 mines emplaced with the MUV-2 or MUV-3 fuze is prohibited! MUV-series fuzes are very similar in external appearance, so it is better not to take the risk. They are destroyed in place by grapnel mine clearance, with grapnels thrown onto the tripwire from cover.

Color

Green.

Marking

Standard, applied in black paint on the side wall and includes:

- OZM-4 - mine designation.

- ИВ-8-72 - manufacturer’s plant code - batch number - year of manufacture.

- Т - filling code.