Valmara 69 or V-69 Inert Educational Sectioned Jumping Landmine
The Valmara 69 or V-69 is a jumping anti-personnel mine, designed by Valsella Meccanotecnica. Developed from the V-59 mine, the mine is no longer produced in Italy, but numerous copies are still produced today in other countries.
The lead is sectioned and completely inert for educational use.
The lead features an olive green or sand colored plastic body, containing the lead's jumping core. At the apex of the mine there is a circular lid, with five metal rods.
The mine is activated when the lid is touched, due to a stress or a pull on one of the five rods, by a tripwire.
The mine launch mechanism is not affected by overpressure. A striker under the cover activates a launch charge at the center of the mine, via a special detonator, and projects the steel heart of the device upwards. Once it reaches a height of 45 cm, a wire, which connects the plastic casing to the charge, activates a spring striker located in the heart of the mine, causing it to explode.
Inside the exploding body there are approximately two thousand pre-cut steel shards. The mine has a declared lethal radius of 25 m, but shrapnel poses a danger well beyond this radius. The detonation time, after activation, is approximately one second and there is no time to take cover.
The lead has a significant metal content, making it easily detectable by metal detectors. However, like most jumping mines, Valmara 69s are hidden from view, and difficult to locate, especially in undergrowth. Furthermore, the Valmara 69 can be placed together with mines with minimal metal content, such as the VS-50, complicating mine clearance operations.
These mines are widespread especially in Angola, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Kuwait, Mozambique, Sudan and Western Sahara.
Technical specifications:
- Weight: 3.2kg
- Explosive content: 420 g of Composition B
- Diameter: 130mm
- Height: 205mm
- Operating pressure: 10 kg when pressing or 6 kg when pulling
- Colors: Green, Sand
- Number of Metal Fragments: Approximately 2000
- Deadly range of action: 25/27 meters
- Mutilating Range of Action: 200 Meters
- Detonator: Type M41
- Tripwire or Direct Pressure Sensitivity 10.8 kg
- Direct Pressure 6/8 Kg Tear on the tripwire