Remote Anti-Armor Mine System

Remote Anti-Armor Mine System
RAAMS cutaway
Type	Artillery shell with anti-tank mines
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Wars	Russo-Ukrainian War
Production history
Designed	Around 1980[1]
Specifications
Mass	5 lb (2.3 kg) (mine)[1]
Caliber	155 mm (6.1 in)
Maximum firing range	17.6 km (10.9 mi)
Filling	PBX 0280 (95% RDX, 5% Estane)[2]
Filling weight	1.26 lb (0.57 kg)[2]

The Remote Anti-Armor Mine System (RAAMS) are two types of 155 mm howitzer projectiles containing nine anti-tank mines each. They were developed for the United States Army around 1980.[1]

Each round contains either the M718 or M718A1 (RAAM-L) mines, which have a self-destruct time over 48 hours; or the M741 or M741A1 (RAAM-S) mines, with a self-destruct time of approximately 4 hours. Both projectiles are used with the M577 or M577A1 Mechanical Time and Superquick (MTSQ) fuze, which triggers the ejection mechanism of the mines above enemy territory after a preset time.[2]

These mines can be delivered at ranges from 4 to 17.6 kilometres (2.5 to 10.9 mi) from the artillery battery position using the M109, M198, or M777 howitzers.[3]

The United States sent about 10,200 RAAMS rounds to Ukraine between the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and January 2023.[4][5][6]

See also

• Area denial artillery munition (ADAM), the anti-personnel equivalent of the RAAMS
• Family of Scatterable Mines (FASCAM)

References

1. Chase, Martin B. (March–April 1980). "A Unique New Capability: Scatterable Mines" (PDF). army.mil. U.S. Army. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
2. "Army Ammunition Data Sheets for Land Mines" (PDF). US Army. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
3. Major Mark T. Kimmitt (1988-11-18). "Rethinking FASCAM" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
4. Oleg Danylov (2022-10-05). "New US aid package: plus 4 HIMARS, 16 155mm M777 howitzers and precision rounds for them". Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
5. "$725 Million in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
6. "Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine" (PDF). U.S. Department of Defense. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-01-06. Retrieved 2023-01-08.

External links

• Media related to Remote Anti-Armor Mine System at Wikimedia Commons