The VS-MK-2 is a plastic bodied scatterable anti-personnel blast mine formerly manufactured by the now-defunct Valsella Meccanotecnica

Valsella Meccanotecnica

Valsella Meccanotecnica SpA was one of Italy's largest manufacturers of mines. The Company's headquarters initially were in Montichiari and with two production plants in Castenedolo near Brescia, Italy....

 SpA, an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 high-tech defense industry specialized in area denial systems (landmines). The mine is extremely difficult to detect because of its low metal content. Additionally, it is resistant to blast overpressure due to a pneumatic system incorporated into the fuse. The mine will also function in up to 1 meter of water. An electrically fused anti-handling version of the mine was also produced designated VS-MK-2-EL, VS-MK-2-E or VS-MK2 AR-AN to hinder clearance attempts. Although Italy has ceased production of the mine it may still be found in uncleared minefields located in Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

, Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

 and the Western Sahara

Western Sahara

Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...

.

Description

The mine is circular and normally olive green or sand colored. The top of the mine has a black neoprene

Neoprene

Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene in general has good chemical stability, and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range...

 plunger/pressure plate, which rests on a small spring. The mine is internally divided into two sections separated by a small air bleed hole. When the plunger is compressed, air is forced through the bleed hole equalizing pressure in the upper and lower section. When the mine experiences sudden overpressure an air bladder inflates caused by the differential in pressure between the upper and lower sections, this prevents the activation of the mine. When constant pressure is applied the pressure equalizes gradually and the mine is activated, a striker is driven sideways by the plunger, detonating the horseshoe

Horseshoe

A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...

-shaped explosive charge.

Specifications

• Weight: 135 g
• Explosive content: 33 g of RDX
  RDX
  RDX, an initialism for Research Department Explosive, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications. It was developed as an explosive which was more powerful than TNT, and it saw wide use in WWII. RDX is also known as cyclonite, hexogen , and T4...
  
  /wax.
• Diameter: 90 mm
• Height: 32 mm
• Operating pressure: 12 kg