600 'Vibhav' anti-tank mines with safety mechanism inducted into Army

Six hundred indigenously manufactured self-neutralising anti-tank mines, known as “Vibhav”, have been inducted into the Army to provide mobility kill against all enemy armoured vehicles, officials said on Monday. The anti-tank mine is made of new-age plastic, which gives it adequate strength and durability to withstand the requirements of storage, handling and operating in varying field conditions, they added. “It (the ‘Vibhav’ anti-tank mine) is already in production. It has been completed. It is now in demand. It has been inducted into the Indian Army. Six hundred mines have been inducted (recently),” an official of the manufacturing company told PTI. Designed and developed completely indigenously in a joint venture with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in India, “Vibhav” is a point-attack anti-tank munition, the officials said. They said the mines are designed to provide mobility kill against all enemy armoured vehicles. “Made from new age plastic, the mines have adequate strength and durability to withstand the requirements of storage, handling and operating in varying field conditions,” the official mentioned above said. The munition can be laid both mechanically or manually, he added. A host of safety and actuation mechanisms have been incorporated in “Vibhav” to make it safe to handle, lethal against targets and reliable, the officials said. The integrated explosive, mechanical and electronic safety features ensure utmost operator safety, they added. On the other hand, the lethality of the munition ensures effectiveness against all current and futuristic armoured vehicles, the officials said. The munition also incorporates an electronic anti-handling and anti-lift device (EAHALD) that stays active for 120 days once armed, they said. “We have made three changes in this mine. It has mechanical timers now. Due to this, after 120 days, it will be self-neutralised. It was not available in the earlier mines,” one of the officials said. The munition is under production by the Kalyani Group for the Indian Army. It has a storage life of 10 years with no special storage requirements, he added.