The disadvantage of the mine is that it cannot be stored for long periods in warehouses, because after 5 years the power sources self-discharge, and their replacement by the mine design is not provided. In addition, it is unacceptable to store mines in unheated storage (power sources freeze and fail). It is possible to store mines only in warm southern regions. The second disadvantage is its excessive sensitivity. If mines are used in areas with tall grass, bushes, then some of them hang on branches or the threads fall on tall blades of grass, branches, and under the influence of the wind the mines explode. The same happens when they hit the snow. When the snow melts or as a result of gradual subsidence in loose snow, the position of the mines changes, and they explode.
The POM-1 mine is a copy of the US "BLU-42/B" mine used in Vietnam in 1974-75.
Designed to incapacitate enemy personnel.
After leaving the cassette, the mine rotates under the influence of the air flow. For this purpose, there are aerodynamic wings on the body. The centrifugal fuse releases two crosspieces on the lower and upper halves of the body, which hold spring-loaded anchors-weights with wires. The crosspieces are thrown back from the body, the anchors-weights fly out of the body under the action of the springs. Under the action of centrifugal force, the anchors-weights are thrown back from the body by the length of the wires. After the mine falls to the ground and the centrifugal force disappears, the reverse movement of the centrifugal fuse closes the contacts of the firing circuit. From this moment on, the mine is in combat condition.
The mine explodes when its position changes by more than 15-20 degrees. A person or several people are injured by shrapnel hitting the body when the mine's charge is detonated at the moment when the person touches one of the eight target sensors (thin, strong nylon threads, 4.5 meters long, each with anchors-weights at the ends) and, thereby, changes the position of the mine.
After the combat period has expired, the mine self-neutralizes by short-circuiting the current source (the POM-1 does not have this, only the POM-1S). After that, the mine is safe, but there are no external signs (signals) of self-neutralization in the mine's design.
The mine can be laid only on the ground and only by remote mining means – manual PKM-1, helicopter VSM-1, aviation KMGU, ground minelayers UMZ, UMZ-K. Of these, the main means is VSM-1. The possibility of laying mines manually is not provided. Each VSM-1 container contains 29 KSO-1 type cassettes. Each KSO-1 cassette contains 8 POM-1 mines. In total, the Mi-8 helicopter (Fig. 6.6.3) can carry 4 VSM-1 containers, i.e. 116 KSO-1 cassettes (928 POM-1 mines). One Mi-8 helicopter with one VSM-1 ammunition set (29 cassettes) lays a minefield measuring 2000×30 meters. A helicopter unit lays a minefield measuring 13.2 km × 30 m in 3–4 minutes. The basis of the ASM-POM-1S aviation minelaying system is a container of the KMGU type (Fig. 6.6.4), which is loaded with 192 POM-1S mines, and which can be suspended from front-line bombers Su-24M, Su-30, Su-34 (7 containers, 1344 mines), attack aircraft Su-25 and Su-39 (8 containers, 1536 mines). It can also be suspended from other combat aircraft such as MiG-29M, MiG-35 (4 containers, 768 mines), Yak-130 (6 containers, 1152 mines). The container is not dropped. The mines are fired back from it at a predetermined interval.
The mine is non-retractable and cannot be demined. One cassette gives a dispersion ellipse of 8-10 by 18-20 meters, so eight mines from one cassette will be scattered within this ellipse. The distance between the mines is on average 1.5-7 meters. The tension threads of eight mines, repeatedly intertwining, provide a 100% probability that an enemy soldier will get caught on one of the threads. The fight against these mines is possible by repeatedly driving over the terrain with tracked armored vehicles. Although the mine is metal, it is impossible to use a metal detector (mine detector) or a probe to search for it, because the five-meter threads exclude approaching the mine. Mine clearance by throwing cats with ropes is extremely dangerous because, due to the high sensitivity, a mine explosion is possible already at the moment the rope falls on the mine thread. Making passes in minefields with POM-1 mines using explosive demining installations (UR-67, UR-77, ZRP-2) gives good results.
Color: Green, gray or brown. Marking: Standard, applied with black paint on the upper hemisphere of the mine and contains: − POM-1 – mine code; − 912-78-82 – manufacturer’s code – batch number – year of manufacture (digits may be different); − TG-40 – equipment code.