It is designed to give a sound and light signal, as well as to illuminate the area when an enemy soldier, having caught his foot on a wire extension, involuntarily pulls out the detonator's combat check.
4 signal stars fly out of the body to a height of up to 30 m. The color of the stars in the mine modifications is as follows: - MSK-40 – red (Fig. 13.2.2); - MSK-40-01 – green; - MSK-40-02 – white; - MSK-40-03 – blue; - MSK-40P and MSK-40PE – 4 signal stars of red, green, white and blue color fly out, that is, all four are of different colors. Then 10 illuminating stars fly out to a height of up to 30 m, which illuminate the area within a radius of 170-200 m for 23-28 seconds. A sharp loud whistle continues throughout the entire time the stars fly out. The audible range of the sound signal is about 500-800 m, the visibility of the signal stars is at least 500 meters. In MSK-40P, 2 more light-sound stars are launched, exploding at a height of 30 m with a power of 140 dB.
It does not have any non-extraction or non-disarmament elements, however, the very high sensitivity of the MUV series detonator makes the mine impossible to neutralize.
The mine is not equipped with a self-destruct device.
The mine is installed manually in the ground with a 2-3 cm camouflage layer, and if it is impossible to install it in the ground - on the ground (the mine is tied to a stake driven into the ground). It is also possible to install the mine by fixing it on various local objects (poles, trees, etc.) or in the snow to a depth of up to 70 cm.
The marking is applied with black paint on the side surface and contains: - MSK-40 or MSK-40P – mine code; - RF-98-04-01 – country of manufacture – code of the manufacturer’s plant – batch number – year of manufacture.