Mine Valmara - VS-JAP (Valsella Jumping Anti-Personnel) teaching, Desert Camouflage

The VS-JAP (Valsella Jumping Anti-Personnel) is an Italian-made anti-personnel jumping mine, desert camouflage version. It is the latest in the family of Valmara production mines which includes the Valmara 59 and the Valmara 69.

The lead has a faceted cylindrical body made of waterproof plastic with a three-prong cap, with a central attachment point for a tripwire. The fuze is activated by downward pressure (someone stepping on the mine) or sideways pressure (pulling on a trip wire).

When the mine is activated, a small propellant charge in the base launches the internal body of the mine into the air. When it reaches a height of about 50 cm, a steel wire is tensioned, pushing a firing pin into the mine's detonator, firing it. The mine's main explosive charge is surrounded by 1200 steel cubes, which are reportedly lethal up to 25 meters from the detonation point.

Italy signed the mine ban treaty on 3 December 1997, deposited the act of ratification at the United Nations on 23 April 1999 and became a state party to the Treaty on 1 October 1999.

The Ratification Law (Law 106/99), approved on 26 March 1999, amended the pre-existing National Legislation on the banning of anti-personnel mines (Law 374/99) approved on 27 October 1999.

For this reason, considering that it was only produced for a short period of time, it is considered very rare to be able to find an educational version like this one.

Technical information:

• Diameter: 130mm
• Height: 190mm
• Weight: 2.8kg
• Explosive Content: 0.5 kg of Composition B with a booster charge of 9 g of RDX
• Working pressure: 10.8kg pressure, 4 to 6kg pull
• Deadly range of action: 25/27 meters
• Mutilating Range of Action: 200 Meters