Weapon tag archive

Area Denial Weapons and Military Equipment

Browse 8 weapon systems and military equipment entries tagged Area Denial, grouped by category with images, specifications, conflict context, and sources.

8 weapon systems

Landmine, Explosive ground mine, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsLandmineExplosive ground mineSide: RussiaUkraineHamas and Gaza-based armed groupsHouthi-aligned forcesLibyan National ArmyKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)Rebel and jihadist armed groupsCambodiaTaliban and allied militantsBuilt: Various manufacturers / MultipleLandmines are ground-emplaced explosive munitions triggered by a person's or vehicle's presence, proximity, or contact, with battlefield roles ranging from route denial and obstacle protection to remote minefield laying. This class page covers conventional anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines, scatterable mines, directional fragmentation mines, and improvised victim-activated mines where sources directly document conflict use.

Building booby-trap improvised explosive device, Improvised explosive device, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsBuilding booby-trap improvised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceSide: Hamas and Gaza-based armed groupsBuilt: Hamas / Gaza StripBuilding booby-trap improvised explosive devices in the Israel-Hamas War 2023-present were field-improvised traps hidden in homes and other structures across northern Gaza, using ordinary rooms, stairwells, closets, and debris to slow clearance teams and endanger troops.

Explosively formed penetrator improvised explosive device, Improvised explosive device, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsExplosively formed penetrator improvised explosive deviceImprovised explosive deviceSide: Hamas and Gaza-based armed groupsHouthi-aligned forcesBuilt: Al-Qassam Brigades / Gaza Strip, Palestinian territoriesAn explosively formed penetrator IED is an improvised shaped-charge bomb that uses a concave liner to launch a penetrator at short range. Hamas-linked and Houthi-aligned forces have used this family against armored vehicles and protected positions in Gaza and Yemen.

POM-2, Scatterable antipersonnel fragmentation mine, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsPOM-2Scatterable antipersonnel fragmentation mineSide: RussiaLibyan National ArmySyrian government and alliesBuilt: Soviet and Russian state arsenals / Soviet Union / RussiaThe POM-2 is a Soviet/Russian scatterable antipersonnel fragmentation mine that deploys tripwire sensors after delivery by rockets, helicopters, aircraft, vehicles, or specialized dispensers. It appears in documented Russian-linked mine warfare in Ukraine and Libya, and in photographed Soviet mine contamination on former Syrian Civil War 2011-present contact-line farmland.

POMZ-2, Stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mine, Infantry Weapons

Infantry WeaponsPOMZ-2Stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mineSide: ArmeniaArtsakhSoviet Union and Afghan government forcesNorth Vietnam and Viet CongSyrian government and alliesBuilt: Soviet state arsenals / Various manufacturers / Soviet UnionThe POMZ-2 is a Soviet stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mine built around a serrated cast-iron body, TNT charge, and pull-fuze tripwire. Its simple above-ground layout made the mine a persistent legacy hazard: cataloged use now spans Soviet mine warfare in Afghanistan, Vietnamese forces in the Vietnam War 1955-1975, Nagorno-Karabakh stockpiles and defensive minefields, and a limited Syrian Civil War 2011-present indication tied to Syrian government forces.

9M27K3 anti-personnel mine rocket, 220 mm Uragan cargo rocket for anti-personnel mines, Munitions

Munitions9M27K3 anti-personnel mine rocket220 mm Uragan cargo rocket for anti-personnel minesSide: UkraineBuilt: Splav State Research and Production Association / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 9M27K3 is a Soviet-origin 220 mm Uragan cargo rocket that disperses 312 PFM anti-personnel mines for remote minefield laying. Human Rights Watch tied the round to apparent Ukrainian PFM-series mine use around Izium during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present, making it more than a launcher-component entry.

CBU-89 Gator mine, Air-delivered scatterable mine cluster munition, Munitions

MunitionsCBU-89 Gator mineAir-delivered scatterable mine cluster munitionSide: Coalition forcesBuilt: Alliant Techsystems / Aerojet Ordnance Company / United StatesThe CBU-89 Gator mine is a U.S. Air Force air-delivered scatterable mine cluster munition that uses the SUU-64/B Tactical Munitions Dispenser to lay mixed antitank and antipersonnel minefields. GAO and Human Rights Watch sources document its Gulf War 1990-1991 employment, while reference sources describe a 1,000-pound-class weapon carrying 72 BLU-91/B antitank mines, 22 BLU-92/B antipersonnel mines, and an optional FZU-39 proximity sensor.

Booby trap, Booby trap, Munitions

MunitionsBooby trapBooby trapSide: Libyan National ArmyBuilt: Locally improvised by armed groups / VariousBooby traps are victim-activated explosive or non-explosive devices hidden to make an apparently harmless object, route, or action lethal or injurious when disturbed. Treaty law has regulated them since 1980, and Libya reporting shows they are still used to slow movement and complicate clearance after withdrawals.