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When first invented, the Claymore was a new weapon which did not fit into any obvious category, and so was sometimes called a " mine" simply for lack of any better name. However the Claymore does not meet the definition of a landmine (neither the military, Ottawa Treaty, nor ordinary dictionary definitions), and has never been subject to the particular restrictions governing the use of landmines. As such it is now usually referred to as the "M18A1 Claymore" or simply the "Claymore".
The Claymore is normally fired on command using a hand held electrical initiator provided with the weapon. However because of its simple design, it could also be fired in a variety of other ways, including electric detonator, detonating cord, or even converted into a landmine or booby trap by adding a booby trap switch and trip wire. (This latter procedure is illegal in many countries.)
When detonated, the M18A1 Claymore delivers spherical steel fragments over a 60° fan-shaped pattern that is two meters high and 50 meters wide at a range of 50 meters. These fragments are moderately effective up to a range of 100 meters and can travel up to 250 meters forward of the weapon. The optimum effective range (the range at which the optimal balance is achieved between lethality and area coverage) is 50 meters.
The M18 is based on the Misznay-Schardin effect, the behaviour of sheets of explosive that was independently discovered in WWII by Misznay, a HungarianThe Republic of Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. It is known locally as the Country of the Magyars or Magyarorszag''. Magyar Koztarsasag ( In Detail) ( Full s, and Schardin, a GermanThe Federal Republic of Germany ( German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland is one of the world's leading industrialized countries, located in the middle of the European Union. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to the east. When the explosive detonates in contact with a metal object, the explosion is primarily directed away from the metal. Schardin spent some time developing the device as a side-attack anti-tankAnti-tank or simply AT refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. The most common forms of anti-tank systems are cannons with a high muzzle velocity, wire guided missiles in various forms, and various autocannon f weapon, but development was incomplete at the end of the war.
Following the massed Chinese attacks during the Korean WarThe Korean War from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between communist North Korea and anti-communist South Korea. It was also a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The principal combatants were North and South Korea., the US Army developed the German design into an anti-personnel weaponAn anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to injure or kill people. While the distinction is very old a spear is anti-personnel, while a catapult is of more use against buildings than individuals, the large-scale development of military technology in that would fire hundreds of small ball-bearings in one shot. The rear of the device was a steel sheet covered with the explosive, and in front was an air space packed with the shotThe term shot may refer to: Shot (film) is part of a film between two cuts. A single round fired from a firearm. Small pellets usually iron or lead used in shotgun cartridges. A measure of volume approximately equal to one ounce or 30 ml. See Shot glass.. When the explosive detonates the majority of the force is directed forward, sending the balls out the front at high velocity. Claymores were not buried like mines but were placed above ground pointed towards the likely location of the enemy.