Munitions

M18A1 Claymore mine

Also known as
  • Claymore mine
  • M18 Claymore
  • M18A1 Claymore
  • M18A1 APERS mine
  • Mine, antipersonnel, M18A1
  • M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munition

The M18A1 Claymore mine is a U.S. directional fragmentation anti-personnel munition built around a C-4 charge and a forward-facing steel-ball fragmentation matrix. Army sources describe controlled electric or non-electric initiation for perimeter defense, outpost protection, and anti-infiltration tasks, with direct records tying the M18A1 to Vietnam, Afghanistan, and U.S. transfers to Ukraine.

M18A1 Claymore mine, Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine, Munitions
Image source: Wikimedia M18 Claymore Mine.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine
Designed
Original anti-personnel fragmentation weapon patent filed in 1956; M18A1 standardized in 1960.
Produced
M18A1 standardized in 1960; non-electric shock-tube initiator production started in 2005 and the system remains in U.S. service.

Specifications

Mine body weight
3.5 lb
Dimensions
8.5 in long; 1 3/8 in wide; 3.25 in high with legs folded; 6.75 in high with legs unfolded
Fragmentation arc
60 degrees
Fragmentation elements
About 700 1/8-inch diameter steel balls
Effective pattern
About 2 meters high and 50 meters wide at 50 meters
Effective and danger range
Optimum effective range 50 meters; fragments moderately effective to 100 meters and dangerous forward to 250 meters
Initiation
Electric manual initiation or non-electric shock-tube initiation
Electric firing accessories
M57 firing device with M4 electric blasting cap assembly and 100 feet of firing wire
Main charge
1.5 lb Composition C-4 behind the fragmentation face
Mine body
Curved fiberglass-filled polystyrene case with adjustable legs and two detonator wells
Use
Directional, fixed mine for bivouac-area and outpost defense
Control And Effects

The Army manual frames the Claymore as a controlled one-shot weapon when the operator deliberately fires it, while warning that uncontrolled employment is treated as mine or boobytrap use. That distinction matters for U.S. assistance releases that specify Ottawa Convention-consistent configuration.

Pattern

A 60-degree forward fan, about 2 meters high and 50 meters wide at 50 meters.

FM 23-23 also describes a 250-meter forward fragment danger area.

Control

Electric firing uses the M57 hand-held pulse generator, M4 blasting-cap assembly, and 100 feet of firing wire.

The later Army fact sheet also documents non-electric initiation.

Construction

The mine body uses a curved plastic case, about 700 1/8-inch steel balls in a forward matrix, and a 1.5 lb C-4 layer behind the fragmentation face.

ODIN and FM 23-23 support the internal C-4 and fragmentation-face description.

Variants

Claymore-family designations separate the earlier M18 service mine, the standardized M18A1 with revised body and accessories, and later electric and non-electric initiation configurations.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
M18 ClaymoreEarlier limited-standard model

FM 23-23 says the M18A1 was standardized in 1960 and replaced the earlier M18 antipersonnel mine; its appendix describes the M18 as using C-3 explosive, rectangular fragments, three folding legs, and a different firing device.

Sources: FM 23-23 Antipersonnel Mine M18A1 and M18

M18A1 electric initiation configurationM4/M57 firing configuration

Army manual material describes the classic M18A1 electric setup with an M57 pulse-generator firing device and M4 electric blasting cap assembly.

Sources: FM 23-23 Antipersonnel Mine M18A1 and M18

M18A1 non-electric initiation configurationShock-tube firing configuration

The Army ammunition fact sheet says non-electric shock-tube initiator production started in 2005.

Sources: M18A1 Claymore Fact Sheet

Explosive Fill

The Claymore body uses C-4 explosive behind its fragmentation face.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
C4, Plastic demolition explosive, MunitionsC4Plastic demolition explosive

ODIN notes that the M18A1 Claymore mine contains a layer of C-4 explosive behind the fragmentation face.

Sources: M18A1 Claymore American Anti-Personnel Mine

Timeline

M18A1 Claymore mine Key Events

  1. M18A1 standardized

    The Army field manual identifies 1960 as the M18A1 standardization point and states that it replaced the earlier M18 antipersonnel mine.

    Sources: FM 23-23 Antipersonnel Mine M18A1 and M18

  2. Non-electric initiation enters production

    The Army ammunition fact sheet dates production start for the non-electric initiation configuration to 2005.

    Sources: M18A1 Claymore Fact Sheet

  3. Claymores emplaced at OP Topside before Wanat attack

    Army University Press documents U.S. paratroopers emplacing four M18A1 command-detonated Claymores around OP Topside for close-threat protection before the July 2008 battle at Wanat.

    Sources: Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008

  4. U.S. drawdown package names M18A1 Claymore munitions for Ukraine

    The Department of Defense listed M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions in an $800 million Ukraine security-assistance package.

    Sources: DoD $800 Million Ukraine Security Assistance

Media

M18A1 Claymore mine Videos

M18A1 Claymore mine Images

M18A1 Claymore mine, Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine, Munitions - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Claymore install army.mil-2008-09-25-065314.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
MON-50, Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMON-50Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mineThe MON-50 is a Soviet directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine broadly comparable in role to the M18 Claymore, with a plastic body, folding legs, and a forward fragmentation pattern. It can be command-detonated or configured with tripwire and other fuzing, making it a compact infantry obstacle and ambush munition. Direct monitoring sources document MON-50 use by Russian or Russian-aligned forces in eastern Ukraine, the full-scale Russia-Ukraine War, and the 2019-2020 Tripoli fighting in Libya.
M68 Inert Training Mine, Inert Claymore training mine, MunitionsMunitionsM68 Inert Training MineInert Claymore training mineThe M68 Inert Training Mine is a U.S. Claymore-family practice item built to simulate M18-series Claymore handling without a live explosive mine body. Army portfolio and market-survey material tie the trainer to electric and non-electric DODIC variants, the M33 practice weapon body, an inert mini-detonation assembly, and M7 bandoleer field packing, while AES identifies the M68 as a current inert training product manufactured alongside its M18A1 Claymore work.
POMZ-2, Stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsPOMZ-2Stake-mounted antipersonnel fragmentation mineThe 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 1955 Vietnam War, Nagorno-Karabakh stockpiles and defensive minefields, and a limited 2011 Syrian Civil War indication tied to Syrian government forces.
MON-100, Directional anti-personnel fragmentation mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMON-100Directional anti-personnel fragmentation mineThe MON-100 is a Soviet/Russian directional anti-personnel fragmentation mine in the larger end of the MON family. Technical references describe a circular metal-bodied, stake- or fixture-mounted mine with a 2 kg TNT charge, roughly 400 steel fragments, and command or tripwire-capable initiation. Monitoring groups identify MON-100 use by Russian forces in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War and by Russian mercenaries around Tripoli during the 2014 Second Libyan Civil War.
MON-90, Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMON-90Directional fragmentation antipersonnel mineThe MON-90 is a Soviet-designed directional fragmentation antipersonnel mine and the 90 m member of the MON family between the smaller MON-50 and larger MON-100. Technical references describe a plastic-bodied, tree-spike-mounted mine with about 2,000 steel fragments, two M-10 threaded fuze wells, and command or tripwire initiation depending on setup. Direct monitoring sources place MON-90 mines in Russian use in Ukraine after the 2022 invasion and in Russian-linked Tripoli mine contamination during the Second Libyan Civil War.
MON-series anti-personnel mine, Directional fragmentation anti-personnel mine family, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsMON-series anti-personnel mineDirectional fragmentation anti-personnel mine familyThe MON series is a Soviet/Russian family of directional fragmentation anti-personnel mines, including MON-50, MON-90, MON-100, and MON-200 patterns that project preformed fragments across a defined sector. Monitoring groups identify the family in Russian mine warfare in Ukraine and in Russian-linked Tripoli minefields in Libya, while the Nagorno-Karabakh record is narrower and rests on postwar MON-50 clearance reporting.

Sources

Marine Corps Vietnam Gallery WeaponsPublisher: National Museum of the Marine Corps | Note: Supports 1955 Vietnam War direct-use context: the museum's Vietnam-gallery material identifies the M18A1 command-detonated Claymore as a Marine weapon used offensively and defensively in Vietnam. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Wanat: Combat Action in Afghanistan, 2008Publisher: Army University Press | Note: Supports 2001 War in Afghanistan direct-use context: U.S. paratroopers emplaced M18A1 command-detonated Claymore mines around OP Topside/COP Kahler before the July 2008 Wanat attack. | Accessed: 2026-07-03DoD $800 Million Ukraine Security AssistancePublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context: M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions were supplied to Ukraine in an April 2022 Presidential Drawdown package and configured to be consistent with the Ottawa Convention. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Human Rights Watch Landmine Use in UkrainePublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context: U.S. transfer of command-detonated M18A1 Claymore directional fragmentation munitions to Ukraine without victim-activated trip-wire fuzes. | Accessed: 2026-07-03FM 23-23 Antipersonnel Mine M18A1 and M18Publisher: Headquarters, Department of the Army | Note: Supports M18A1 standardization in 1960, replacement of the M18, dimensions and construction context, controlled-use framing, M57/M4 electric firing accessories, and the 60-degree fragmentation pattern with 50-meter optimum range and 250-meter forward danger area. | Accessed: 2026-07-03M18A1 Claymore American Anti-Personnel MinePublisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports the directional anti-personnel mine identification, the 60-degree arc, the about-700 1/8-inch steel-ball fragmentation pattern, and the internal C-4 layer behind the fragmentation face. | Accessed: 2026-07-03M18A1 Claymore Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Army Program Executive Office Ammunition | Note: Supports the Claymore's electric or non-electric initiation, the 2005 start of non-electric initiation production, the current producer Accurate Energetic Systems, and the defense-of-bivouac-and-outpost service context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Wikimedia M18 Claymore Mine.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for the primary Claymore photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Wikimedia Claymore install army.mil-2008-09-25-065314.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a Claymore installation photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-03